Crypto-Related Kidnappings Surge in France; 88 Charged Across 12 Active Cases

TLDR:

• France recorded 135 crypto-related kidnappings since 2023, with 47 cases already logged in 2026.
  
• Eighty-eight suspects, including over 10 minors, have been charged across 12 active French cases.
  
• A couple in Dompierre-sur-Mer was forced to transfer roughly 8 million euros in cryptocurrency as ransom.
  
• Prosecutors identified recurring suspects across multiple cases, confirming the presence of structured criminal networks.

Crypto-related kidnappings in France have reached alarming levels, prompting decisive action from prosecutors. On April 24, France’s national anti-organized crime prosecutor announced 88 individuals have been formally charged.

These charges span 12 ongoing cases and include more than 10 minors among the accused. Seventy-five of those charged remain in pretrial detention.

Since 2023, authorities have recorded 135 such incidents nationwide, with the numbers rising sharply each year.

Rising Numbers Reveal the Scope of a Growing Criminal Trend

The data alone shows how rapidly this problem has grown in France. Authorities recorded 18 crypto-related kidnapping incidents throughout 2024.

That number surged to 67 over the course of 2025. So far in 2026, 47 new cases have already been logged, and the year is far from over. Prosecutors have described the trajectory as unprecedented in scope.

Vanessa Perrée, chief prosecutor at the National Anti-Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office (Pnaco), pointed to a “significant volume of defendants” across the active cases.

She further described the pattern as “rapidly evolving criminal phenomena,” noting their direct connection to the use of crypto assets. These cases involve abduction or unlawful detention, often accompanied by physical violence against victims. Victims are then forced to transfer cryptocurrency assets or surrender digital securities as ransom.

Perrée also flagged “the identification of people involved in several cases on a recurring basis, thus revealing the existence of structured networks.” This pattern strongly points to organized criminal groups operating across multiple regions of France. Law enforcement has been actively cross-referencing cases to confirm these broader connections. The close coordination between agencies has proven central to advancing the investigations.

In one recent development, three men aged between 25 and 30 were arrested in connection with a November 2025 kidnapping case. The incident took place in Challes-les-Eaux, in the Savoie region. The Chambéry gendarmerie and the National Judicial Police Unit carried out the arrests. All three suspects were subsequently charged and placed in pretrial detention.

High-Profile Cases Push Authorities Toward a Stronger National Response

Two of those three suspects also face charges connected to a separate December 2025 case. That incident occurred in Dompierre-sur-Mer, where a couple was abducted by three hooded individuals. The attackers forced the victims to transfer approximately 8 million euros in cryptocurrency before fleeing.

A third suspect in the Dompierre-sur-Mer case was arrested separately by the Poitiers research section. He was also charged and placed in pretrial detention alongside the others. His lawyer, Baptiste Bellet, told AFP directly: “My client contests all the facts of which he is accused.”

The wave of crypto-related kidnappings entered public consciousness after a January 2025 incident. Ledger co-founder David Balland and his partner were kidnapped in a targeted attack. His partner was eventually released, and Balland was later found tied up inside a vehicle. The case spread widely across X, with voices in the crypto community urging stronger personal security practices.

Faced with “the magnitude of the facts” and their rapid acceleration since 2025, Perrée credited investigative units for carrying out “an in-depth work of judicial rapprochement” across cases nationwide. She acknowledged the central office for fighting organized crime and the gendarmerie’s UNPJ in particular. The Pnaco has since committed to strengthening its criminal response throughout the entire country.