Three jailed after blackmail attempt thwarted by police

Three men have been jailed after a major operation in which armed officers from Bedfordshire Police rescued a man at the centre of a blackmail plot.

Mohammed Abdu, 27 and Levi Senior, 26 held a fellow drug dealer, Florian Cani, in a van in the Bedford area for around 18 hours in October 2022. He demanded £30,000 from Cani’s relatives and threatened to harm him if they didn’t pay up.

But police were alerted and an armed team made their way to a garage block in Roundmead, Bedford where Cani was rescued.

Abdu and Levi Senior of Addington Close, Bedford, were arrested at the scene.

Evidence from seized phones showed both Abdu and Cani, formerly of Empire Avenue, Enfield, had been involved in a conspiracy to deal drugs.

During a seven-week trial at Luton Crown Court jurors were told that Cani had come to Bedford in October 2022 by train to meet Abdu.

But when he arrived Abdu, of Moor Lane, Bedford, drove him around before stopping in an rural location where, he told police, he was threatened and hit before being transferred to the back of a van.

The van was taken to a garage where the victim was instructed to phone his family. His captors threatened to cut off a finger for each hour that passed.

At around 10.30pm they left the garage and then moved around to several other locations around Bedford.

But police tracked them down and an armed team moved in to rescue Cani at 8am the following morning.

Abdu and Senior were both convicted of blackmail.

Abdu, who was also convicted of conspiring to supply cocaine, was jailed for a total of 11-and-a-half years at Luton Crown Court on Friday 19 July.

His accomplice Levi Senior was sentenced to six years.

Cani, who sat in the dock alongside his blackmailers, was convicted of conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis and jailed for eight-and-a-half years.    

Detective Constable Craig McPherson, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “This was a crime which was motivated by greed and the prospect of obtaining easy money at the expense of others.

“It was a complex operation and I’d like to praise all of those involved in both the rescue of Cani, and the subsequent investigation, for their work in helping to secure these lengthy convictions.

“Although the public may feel that they’re far removed from criminal activity like this, there are often influencing factors that the local community see long before a crime has even taken place. 

“Any information you can give us helps us form an intelligence picture, which ultimately can lead us to arresting those involved in organised crime. This in turn sees a reduction in things like drug related activity and associated anti-social behaviour in the affected communities, so it’s really important you do get in touch with us.”

Anyone with information about drug related crime in their area should contact police on 101 or via the Bedfordshire Police website: www.beds.police.uk

You can also provide information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.