Cryptocurrency-Linked Kidnappings: 25 Suspects Presented to Investigating Judges in Paris

A major police sweep earlier this week led to the arrest of 25 individuals, who were presented to investigating judges on Friday, May 30. They are suspected of involvement in several kidnappings or attempted kidnappings targeting figures linked to the cryptocurrency sector.

Two Attempted Kidnappings in Paris and Nantes

According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, these suspects may be connected to two separate cases with similar modus operandi. The first occurred on May 13 in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. On that day, the daughter and grandson of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat were targeted in an attempted kidnapping outside their home. Four masked individuals tried to force them into a van branded with Chronopost logos. A witness intervened using a fire extinguisher, forcing the assailants to flee. At least one weapon was brandished, though it remains unclear if it was real.

The second case involves an attempted kidnapping foiled near Nantes, in Loire-Atlantique, on Monday, May 27. About ten people were arrested on the scene just minutes before the alleged abduction. The suspects were reportedly preparing to kidnap another person involved in the cryptocurrency world. The operation was carried out jointly by Paris’s Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) and the Banditry Repression Brigade (BRB).

Possible Single Criminal Network?

Judicial investigators (JIRS) are looking into the possibility that a single organized crime network is behind both cases. The similar methods, logistics, and profiles of the targeted victims suggest centralized coordination, although no formal link has yet been established with the kidnapping of David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, in January.

The judges must now decide on the next steps: whether to indict the suspects for criminal association, attempted kidnapping in an organized group, unlawful detention, and aggravated assault. These cases highlight the growing threat against key figures in the cryptocurrency sector, who have become prime targets for organized crime.