A group kidnapped and tortured a man whom they wrongly suspected of stealing £40,000 worth of drugs.

The victim was subjected to a terrifying ordeal in a field in Southfleet and it was only when the Kent Air Ambulance flew over by chance that the gang panicked, and the victim fled.

Now several people have been jailed for their role in the operation.

The drama began at about 11.45pm on Wednesday, April 19, when the 22-year-old male victim was kidnapped at knifepoint in Plumstead, by the group.

He was wrongly suspected of having stolen £30,000 to £40,000 of crack cocaine and heroin from a drugs safe house in Gilbourne Road, Plumstead.

The gang wanted their drugs back and violently attacked the kidnapped victim with a knife, as he was driven to a remote rural location in Southfleet.

Once in Kent, the man was beaten, tortured, robbed and stabbed by his captors in agricultural fields after midnight.

At the same time, two others – Daniel Edwards and Daniel Cogger – were visiting an address in London attempting to recover the stolen drugs on instruction of Kofi Francis who was leading the kidnapping.

The victim’s ordeal came to an end through pure good fortune when the Kent, Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance helicopter flew over the fields testing its search light ahead of a response to an unrelated crash a mile away.

The gang mistook the Air Ambulance for police, and thought they had been rumbled.

They panicked and scrambled to get away, giving the victim the chance to run away into the darkness, and seek help whilst bleeding profusely from his injuries.

The victim was treated in hospital for serious stab wounds to the hands, and is yet to fully recover from his injuries.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service arrested Edwards on April 22 at his home address in Gilbourne Road, Plumstead, and found a drugs factory, and a substantial amount of crack cocaine in a safe.

Detectives identified and arrested other members of the gang after communication between them was established, proving they were in contact with each other, placing them at key locations in London and in Kent.

The court heard while Francis was remanded in prison for this offence, he recruited Dillian Ode, where they conspired together and attempted to pay the victim £12,000 to withdraw his prosecution.

However, the investigation team deployed undercover police officers to take over communication, thwarting their plan before any money was paid.

Daren Davis, 27, of Bostall Hill, Greenwich, was sentenced to eight years for conspiracy to kidnap having been convicted at Woolwich Crown Court last month. He was cleared of robbery and grievous bodily harm.

Daniel Edwards, 49, of Gilbourne Road, Greenwich, was sentenced to seven years and six months for conspiracy to kidnap and being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine.

Daniel Cogger, 26, of no address, was sentenced to six years and eight months for conspiracy to kidnap.

The three were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court last week.

Dillian Ode, 23, of Kirtley Road, Lewisham, was jailed for 12 months for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Kofi Francis, 23, of Whetstone Road, Greenwich, was found guilty last month of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, grievous bodily harm and robbery. He is to be sentenced in January.

DC Andrew Payne, from the Greenwich Gangs Unit, said: “The sentences are reflective of the seriousness and consequences of involvement in Class A drugs.

“Drug supply ruins lives, whether it is those that use it, or the aftermath of the violence committed by those who participate in its activity.

“Those who engage in this type of offending, should be aware that they will spend a considerable amount of time in prison as a result.”