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French prosecutors have charged 88 people across 12 crypto-related kidnapping cases, as authorities confront a sharp rise in violent attacks linked to digital assets. France’s national anti-organized crime prosecutor announced the charges on April 24. The accused include more than 10 minors, while 75 suspects remain in pretrial detention.
Authorities have recorded 135 crypto-related kidnapping incidents nationwide since 2023. The numbers rose from 18 cases in 2024 to 67 in 2025.
So far in 2026, prosecutors have logged 47 new cases. That pace has raised concern among investigators as the year continues. Vanessa Perrée, chief prosecutor at the National Anti-Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office, said the cases involve a “significant volume of defendants.”
She also described the pattern as “rapidly evolving criminal phenomena” linked directly to the use of crypto assets. According to prosecutors, the cases involve abduction or unlawful detention. In many incidents, attackers used physical violence against victims.
Victims then faced pressure to transfer cryptocurrency or surrender digital securities as ransom. The cases have spread across several regions of France. Can investigators disrupt these recurring networks before 2026 cases overtake last year’s total?
Perrée also cited ‘the identification of people involved in several cases on a recurring basis.’ She said that pattern revealed “the existence of structured networks.” As a result, law enforcement has cross-referenced cases to identify wider links. Coordination between agencies has become central to the investigations.
In one recent case, authorities arrested three men aged between 25 and 30. The arrests related to a November 2025 kidnapping in Challes-les-Eaux, Savoie. The Chambéry gendarmerie and the National Judicial Police Unit carried out the arrests. Prosecutors later charged all three suspects and placed them in pretrial detention.
Two of those suspects also face charges tied to a separate December 2025 case in Dompierre-sur-Mer.
In that incident, three hooded individuals abducted a couple. The attackers forced the victims to transfer about 8 million euros in cryptocurrency before fleeing.
A third suspect in the Dompierre-sur-Mer case was arrested separately by the Poitiers research section. Prosecutors also charged him and placed him in pretrial detention. His lawyer, Baptiste Bellet, told AFP: “My client contests all the facts of which he is accused.”
Public attention grew after the January 2025 kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland and his partner. The case spread widely across X. Balland’s partner was later released. Authorities found Balland tied up inside a vehicle after the targeted attack.
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Perrée credited investigators for “an in-depth work of judicial rapprochement” across cases. She cited the scale of the facts and their acceleration since 2025.
She also acknowledged the central office for fighting organized crime and the gendarmerie’s UNPJ. Pnaco has committed to strengthening its criminal response across France. France’s Interior Ministry response treats crypto crime as a physical security threat. The approach connects cybercrime units with organized crime divisions and prevention infrastructure.
France’s crypto kidnapping cases have escalated sharply, with 88 suspects charged across 12 investigations. Prosecutors link the attacks to organized networks, ransom demands, and rising digital asset exposure. The cases show why crypto security now extends beyond wallets and platforms into physical safety.
