Crypto gang who held Bitcoin millionaires captive and tortured them are jailed for more than 30 years

Five members of a London gang who held two French cryptocurrency millionaires captive and forced them to strip naked have been jailed for more than 30 years.The two men's lifestyles of excess were said to have made them targets for extortion, with the pair kidnapped while visiting London from France.The pair, who were aged in their 20s and had a combined fortune of £50million, were captured by three masked men armed with guns after travelling to buy cannabis. The millionaires were held hostage in Rathbone Apartments, Canning Town, in east London and tortured for 52 hours by the gang. Heidi Stonecliffe, KC, prosecuting, said the men were bound with cable ties, beaten and had socks stuffed in their mouths as boiling hot water was poured over them.They were told their genitals would be cut off if they didn't hand over $150,000, while one man was warned his girlfriend would be raped. One of the victims claimed he was made to drink toilet water during the ordeal.The men were given one spicy chicken wing while their captors feasted on the rest of the 20-piece KFC bucket. Video footage showed the moment three gang members were arrested after a high-speed chase ended with their vehicle crashing into a lamppost (Gerson Borges is pictured) Borges, 24, would later be found guilty of blackmail and false imprisonment George's knife was pictured inside a police evidence bag after being found by a police dogThe ordeal ended when Flying Squad officers traced a mobile phone belonging to a friend of the victims who had travelled with them in the Mercedes, leading police to the flat where the men were being held.Video footage showed the moment gang members Julius George, 22, Adel Sineen, 18, and Isaac Bakoya, 18, were arrested after a high-speed chase ended with their vehicle crashing into a lamppost in July 2025. Other members were later arrested, including Gerson Borges, 24, and Mohamed Osman, 29, and William Adebisi, 19. But mastermind Ibrahim Mohamed, known as Nino and entered as 'Fatboy' in one of the defendants' phones, remains on the run.He organised the scheme from overseas and communicated with the London-based gang on WhatsApp and Snapchat, Inner London Crown Court heard.Ms Stonecliffe said the woman had been dragged from the car in the ambush but her phone had been left in the car unnoticed.Flying Squad officers advised her on stalling techniques to give the police time to rescue the victims as she spoke to them on the phone. Jurors heard another alleged gang member tried to access the victim's cryptocurrency wallet, only to be arrested by Flying Squad officers.Borges and Osman were both found guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment Julius George, described as the victims' 'armed escort', was sentenced to three years and six months in jail after admitting carrying a knife. William Adebisi, 19, was found guilty of false imprisonment and was sentenced to four years and six months detention in a young offenders' institution Adel Sineen, 18, was sentenced to nine months' detention in a young offenders institution, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid workBorges, a Portuguese national who came to the UK when he was four, was convicted of culpable homicide in Scotland in October 2019 after he stabbed a man with a samurai sword during a drug deal.He was jailed for seven years with three years' extended licence.Osman, who was convicted of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment, was jailed for nine years with three years' extended licence.The court heard Osman's family moved to the UK from Somalia in 2001 and that he is one of eight children, with five convictions for robbery. Adebisi was found guilty of false imprisonment and was sentenced to four years and six months detention in a young offenders' institution.George, described as the victims' 'armed escort', was sentenced to three years and six months in jail after admitting carrying a knife.He had seven convictions including four for possession of knives.Sineen admitted dangerous driving but was cleared of false imprisonment.Police chased a car carrying Julius George, Isaac Bakoya and Adel Sineen through the streets of London before the defendants crashed into a lamppost Officers captured Bakoya, George and Sineen on foot following the high-speed car chaseHe was sentenced to nine months' detention in a young offenders institution, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.Bakoya, who admitted false imprisonment, will be sentenced on a later date.The defendants were cleared of conspiracy to kidnap.Judge David Richards told the men: 'This case concerns organised crime. Each of you played a critical role in the brutal treatment of two men.'The judge thanked 'the armed response team who brought this terrible, dreadful episode to a close.'Detective Chief Inspector Laura Hillier, attached to the Flying Squad, said: 'These convictions demonstrate the Met's determination to pursue those involved in serious violence, even in the most challenging circumstances.'Our thoughts remain with the victims, who have endured a traumatic and deeply distressing experience.'Significantly, this case is a rare example of a conviction of this kind being secured without victim testimony. It sends a clear message that offenders cannot assume they can evade justice simply because victims are unable or unwilling to give evidence.'Through meticulous investigation and the presentation of a wide range of evidence, officers were able to build a compelling case and hold those responsible to account.'This outcome reflects our continued commitment to tackling serious violence, protecting vulnerable people and keeping London safe. We will continue to relentlessly pursue those who seek to cause fear and harm in our communities.'