Five people have been sentenced in connection with the death of Tomasz Samel, a 45-year-old father of two who was kidnapped from his home in Handsworth, Birmingham, and tortured in a brutal attack linked to a £1 million illegal cigarette bust. The sentences were handed down on Friday, October 9, 2026, following a lengthy investigation by West Midlands Police that spanned multiple countries.
Kidnapping and torture
Samel was part of an operation smuggling illicit cigarettes from his native Poland to the UK. However, a HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) operation in February 2019 resulted in the seizure of 10 million cigarettes worth approximately £1 million. On March 27 of that year, at around 8.40am, Samel was taken from his home by men posing as Interpol officers. They claimed to be executing a European Arrest Warrant issued for Samel.
The men forced him into a white Peugeot van as his wife and children watched. He was then driven to the Merseyside border with Lancashire, where he was tortured and burned in what police described as a horrific ordeal. At approximately 11.10pm that day, he managed to bang on the door of a remote property in Lancashire, where he told the householder he had been driven from Birmingham and tortured before being dumped by a roadside.
Investigation and convictions
Samel spent three months in hospital and died from his injuries on June 21, 2019. West Midlands Police launched an investigation that quickly went international. A spokesperson for the force explained: "Our investigation established that Tobiasz Kozlowski and Neil Jones led the plot to kidnap and 'teach a lesson' to Tomasz. They were key figures in the cigarette smuggling operation, and had travelled to Poland to discuss the loss of the 10 million cigarettes, and formulate a plan to kidnap Tomasz. Jones later admitted that he paid the kidnappers £20,000 to take Tomasz."
The spokesperson added: "Another man, Kevin Wooden, had bought a police-style earpiece from Amazon so he could pass off as an Interpol officer along with Kye Arthur. Wooden also acquired the van which was used to drive Tomasz to his death."
Sentences handed down
Neil Jones, 48, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 34 years. Tobiasz Kozlowski, 38, of Kirkby, Merseyside, was also found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 33 years. Kevin Wooden, 46, of Banbury, Oxfordshire, was found guilty of manslaughter, having earlier admitted conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison, and was jailed for 23 years. Kye Arthur, 35, of Bristol, was found guilty of manslaughter, also having admitted conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison, and was jailed for 22 years. Sandra Kozlowska, 38, of Kirkby, was found guilty of assisting an offender after she deposited money in a bank account for her husband Tobiasz Kozlowski while he was on the run and formulated a cover story with him. She was sentenced to three years in jail, suspended for three years.
Police and CPS statements
Chief Superintendent Scott Griffiths, who led the investigation, said: "Tomasz would have suffered an unimaginable amount of pain when he was tortured, and his agony continued for the months leading up to his death. The violence that was inflicted on him does not bear thinking about, and those that were willing to do that to another human being are clearly very dangerous individuals."
He added: "Our investigation has spanned many years and many countries, as we pieced together people's movements, mobile phone data, CCTV, and other information to build a picture of what happened on that night. I'm pleased that after more than seven years, we have finally been able to get justice for Tomasz and his family, and hope that it will offer some small level of comfort to those who knew and loved him. This was a significant organised crime group, making millions of pounds through the illegal trade of cigarettes, with operations across a number of countries."
Kate Seal, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This was a brutal attack on a man who was kidnapped from his own home and subjected to horrendous violence. The CPS worked closely with West Midlands Police throughout this lengthy and complex investigation to pursue lines of enquiry and build a case using forensic, digital and witness evidence. Our thoughts remain with Mr Samel's family, who have endured unimaginable suffering, including witnessing his abduction from their family home. I hope these verdicts provide some measure of closure and reassurance that justice has been achieved."
