More than a dozen suspects, including several minors, were arrested Monday morning in France following a string of violent kidnapping attempts targeting individuals linked to the crypto industry.
The French Brigade for the Repression of Banditry (BRB) carried out coordinated raids in Paris, Suresnes (Hauts-de-Seine), and Loire-Atlantique, with support from elite units like the Paris Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI).
One of the most notable incidents was on May 1 when the father of a young online poker player who had made a fortune through crypto and streaming ventures was kidnapped in Paris’s 14th arrondissement.
Since the start of the year, France has been witnessing a disturbing surge in organized attacks targeting individuals with ties to cryptocurrency wealth, with authorities now linking multiple recent cases to a single criminal network.
Just under two weeks later, on May 13, a second case unfolded in broad daylight in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Three masked men attempted to kidnap a 34-year-old woman near a school using a Chronopost van.
Four men, disguised as delivery workers in a stolen UPS-branded van, abducted the victim and demanded a ransom of €5–7 million via wire transfer. To pressure the victim’s son, the kidnappers severed one of the father’s fingers and filmed the act.