A Liverpool man arrested in Greece as part of a suspected international cocaine cartel is wanted in connection with the brutal kidnapping and burning of a man in the UK.
West Midlands Police (WMP) have confirmed the 44-year-old, detained in the northern port city of Thessaloniki on June 9, is a suspect in the murder of Polish national Tomasz Samel. The 45-year-old was kidnapped by men, wearing high-visibility vests and pretending to be Interpol officers on March 27, 2019, after they knocked at his home in Handsworth, Birmingham.
Mr Samel was escorted into a white Peugeot Boxer van at around 8.45am and driven 80 miles to West Lancashire. At around 10.45pm, he banged on the front door of a house in Bickerstaffe, begging for help having suffered devastating burns.
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He was transferred to a specialist unit in Whiston Hospital where doctors found he had suffered 75% burns. Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Mr Samel died on June 21, 2019.
Despite a number of arrests, a wanted appeal for a man called Kevin Wooden, and a £10,000 reward for information, no-one has been charged over the killing. However the force has confirmed they are liaising with the Greek authorities following the Thessaloniki operation, which is unrelated to the West Midlands Case.
A WMP spokesman said: "A 44-year-old man who is wanted by detectives investigating the murder of Tomasz Samel has been arrested by Greek police in Thessaloniki in connection with another investigation.
"We will be liaising with Greek authorities and other agencies, as our investigation into the murder of Tomasz continues. A number of people have been arrested as part of the investigation, but no one has yet been charged."
The suspect is one of four British men arrested as part of a joint operation between the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Italian customs officers and Greek Police into an international cocaine trafficking ring. The raids, at a luxury villa which had recently been rented, found 300kg of cocaine which had been shipped to Greece hidden in boxes of bananas.
The men, aged 38, 45, 48 and 52, are also linked to earlier, even bigger cocaine hauls shipped in a similar way. A fifth man, also from Liverpool, aged 41, and reportedly the brother of the 38-year-old suspect, is wanted over the cocaine seizures but is believed to be in hiding in Colombia.
At the time of Mr Samel's murder, Detective Chief Inspector Anastasia Miller said: "This was a shocking attack and certainly one of the most horrific in my professional experience. We had spoken to Tomasz while he was in hospital but he was very unwell. We can't disclose what was said before he died."
The van used in this crime was seen earlier on the same day at Hopwood Park Services in Bromsgrove. CCTV footage of the murder suspects show them buying fluorescent tabards, believed to have been used to trick Mr Samel into believing they were on official business.
Crimestoppers launched an appeal on the anniversary of Mr Samel's kidnapping in March, 2020. Gary Murray, regional manager at the charity, said at the time: "This is a shocking and horrendous crime and we are appealing to anybody with any information to speak to our charity 100% anonymously. What you know could make all of the difference to help get justice for Tomasz who suffered for months before eventually dying from his severe injuries."
Anyone with information can give it to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via its untraceable anonymous online form.
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