Four men who kidnapped a man and demanded payment for an alleged drug debt have been jailed following an investigation by the Met Police’s Flying Squad.

The victim, an Italian man in his 30s, was held for 36 hours against his will in a flat in Cricklewood, northwest London, after being lured into a bar in February this year.

While there, he made several calls to his ex-partner and friends to meet a £110,000 demand, said to be linked to a drug debt owed by his friend of around £40,000.

When police had broken into the flat on 18 February, they found the victim with several stab wounds, bruising and grazes.

Mobile phone footage later found by officers showed the victim asking his kidnappers not to kill him.

Ervis Ademi, Xhekson Malollari, Mariglen Elezi and Hydajet Kadriu have all been jailed.

Malollari and Elezi were also found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, while Elezi was also found guilty of being in possession of a small amount of cocaine.

Two men had taken the victim to a bar in Cricklewood Broadway, allegedly over the drug debt.

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The three men left together shortly afterwards, walking down Richborough Street when they were approached by two other men wearing balaclavas.

They forced the man into a car and took him to a flat in Dean Road, with the victim suffering some cuts during the scuffle.

After the victim made calls about payment, police became aware of the kidnapping and started to observe the flat at 2am on 18 February under Operation Major.

At around 12.30pm, armed police broke into the flat and arrested Malollari and Elezi. Ademi and Kadriu escaped but were caught and arrested outside the building.

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Detective Constable Tom Waller, who led the investigation, said: “This kidnapping was an appalling pre-planned attack on a man who suffered a terrifying ordeal.

“The Met is committed to making the streets of London safer and thanks to the dedicated work of the officers involved in this operation, these four men have been brought to justice.”

Following their arrests, officers searched for evidence at the flat, where they found the balaclavas, some blood-stained tissues, mobile phones and keys to a car that had been at the scene of the kidnap.

The bar’s CCTV footage showed Malollari as one of the men who met the victim in the bar.

CCTV footage from a nearby business showed the same car at the scene of the kidnapping and parked outside the flat.

There were also several incriminating photos and messages on the phones, according to police, and one video showed the victim with injuries, answering questions about money and pleading for his life.

Ademi and Malollari were sentenced at Amersham Crown Court on Friday, 22 September, to 10 years in prison.

Elezi and Kadriu were each sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

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