4 men charged in connection with 14-year-old's abduction over drug debt

Four men from the GTA have been charged in connection with the abduction of a 14-year-old Toronto boy who was allegedly taken for ransom as retribution for a multimillion-dollar drug debt owed by his older stepbrother.

Police announced Thursday that earlier this week, four men were arrested and hit with a wide swath of charges. Three men are facing charges of kidnapping for ransom and forcible confinement, while another faces a charge of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence for kidnapping for ransom.

Other charges laid include drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, uttering death threats, arson, and breaking and entering.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said Thursday that the teen, who was tackled to the ground and carried into a Jeep Wrangler while on his way to school in the Jane and Finch area back in March, "went through a lot of terror."

Saunders called the boy an "innocent pawn" in a drug deal gone wrong, who had nothing to do with any criminal activities.

"What we're looking for are the people who orchestrated it, ordered it... This may not be over," Saunders said.

In a news release, investigators said that after the boy's abduction on the morning of March 4, he was restrained and held in a remote location in the Castlemore Road and Gore Road area in Brampton.

That evening, the Jeep that was used was taken to an area near Forks of the Credit Provincial Park and burned, police said.

Then, late on March 5, the boy was released in the Wanless Drive and Heritage Road area in Brampton, about 30 kilometres west of where he was originally taken in the north end of Toronto.

Saunders said at the time that the boy was "dishevelled" when officers found him, but said he was now "safe with his mom and dad."

Investigators said Thursday that at least five men were involved in the planning and execution of the abduction, and it allegedly happened because one of the men had a significant amount of cocaine stolen by the victim's brother.

Police said later Thursday that a fifth man, wanted in connection to the incident, turned himself in to police. An update on his charges will be released Friday, police added. 

During the execution of search warrants, a 25-year-old Toronto man was also arrested and charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Police say that when officers were carrying out the searches, they found a kilogram of cocaine, over 70 pounds of marijuana, about $130,000 in cash, and body armour.