Their captors have each been jailed for 19-and-a-half years after a lengthy and complex international investigation. On Saturday 14 May 2022, armed officers descended on a house on Firth Park Road after receiving concerning information two Albanian men were being held against their will there.  

Inside, they found the victims chained to radiators in separate rooms upstairs. Next to them lay empty dog food bowls, which they had been forced to eat out of after being starved for days. One of the men had severe burn injuries to his hand after being assaulted and scalded. Upon seeing the armed officers, he could only mutter ‘thank you’. Downstairs, armed police had arrested Lithuanian Valdemaras Kasinskas and Albanian Andi Alushi on suspicion of wounding. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Oughton, who led the investigation, said today: “What officers found inside that house was deeply disturbing, clear evidence two people had been kept prisoner and subjected to absolutely barbaric treatment. Torture is the only word to describe what Kasinskas and Alushi did to one of the victims, giving him violent beatings and burning him with scalding liquid, causing significant burn injuries. “As we dug deeper into this horrific case, we learned the motive for Kasinskas and Alushi’s sadistic crimes was to elicit money from the victims’ families back in Albania. The pair blamed the victims for one of their cannabis warehouses being dismantled – a clear indication of their involvement in organised criminality and large-scale drugs supply – and as such, filmed the victims enduring humiliating and degrading treatment in the hope they could blackmail their families.” At a hearing before Sheffield Crown Court last month, 27-year-old Alushi and 39-year-old Kasinskas pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment. Today at the same court, Alushi, formerly of Breeze Hill, Liverpool, was sentenced to 19-and-a-half years. Kasinskas, whose former address is not known, was sentenced to the same. DCI Oughton continued: “When faced with the victims’ testimony, forensic evidence, telephone and digital evidence, this criminal duo saw no option but to enter guilty pleas the week before trial was due to start. “This conviction would not have been successful without the bravery of the two victims, the dedicated efforts of investigating officers and staff, as well as the invaluable support of international law enforcement agencies.” We will be sharing more information about the international investigation in the coming days.