Man found guilty of kidnapping teen over half-brother's cocaine theft

A man has been found guilty of kidnapping a 14-year-old Toronto boy in March 2020 over a drug debt owed by the teen's older half-brother.

In her decision Friday, Superior Court Justice Sandra Nishikawa wrote the kidnapping was a "coordinated plan" after the brother stole 90 kilograms of cocaine from his employers, who were involved in drug trafficking. 

The Crown argued that Samir Abdelgadir and his "associates" kidnapped the boy and held him for ransom, Nishikawa wrote.

Five men initially faced charges related to the kidnapping, but Abdelgadir was the only man to face trial. 

The boy was abducted outside his home the morning of March 4, 2020, while on his way to school in the Jane and Finch area, police said at the time. He was carried into a Jeep Wrangler and held in a Brampton home near Castlemore Road and Gore Road. 

Abdelgadir was not one of two men who grabbed the boy, but Nishikawa wrote she was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that he was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe that was on scene during the abduction. 

"Mr. Abdelgadir stood by in the Tahoe to keep watch and assist the kidnapping," she wrote. 

Later that day, the Chevrolet Tahoe was driven to the Brampton house where the boy was taken. 

The boy was released on March 5 near Wanless Drive and Heritage Road in Brampton, about 30 kilometres west of where he was originally abducted.

Abdelgadir, who appeared on Zoom during Friday's hearing, knew the boy was going to be kidnapped, that he had been kidnapped, and he "carried out his role of standing by and being ready to assist if needed," Nishikawa wrote. 

"Based on the totality of the evidence, guilt is the only reasonable conclusion."