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- Organized gangs are increasingly targeting individuals for their digital assets, leading to a sharp rise in violent kidnappings across France.
- Authorities have identified structured criminal groups that repeatedly use abduction and torture to force victims into transferring millions in cryptocurrency.
- Since 2023, 135 specific incidents have been recorded, with 2025 marking a peak of 67 cases as criminals pivot toward digital ransoms.
According to the report, a dangerous new trend is reshaping French organized crime. Gone are the days of chasing physical cash; today’s kidnappers hunt for crypto. Criminals are increasingly swapping traditional ransoms for digital assets, seeking the private keys to a victim’s wealth rather than a suitcase of euros.
However, Vanessa Perrée, the head of the National Jurisdiction Against Organized Crime (PNACCO), sounded an alert due to the surge of abductions associated with crypto-assets in 2023. Kidnappers seized 135 victims solely for their crypto-assets. Perrée explained that statistics show quite a scary pattern of fast development.
Indeed, although there were 18 cases of such kidnapping in 2024, the number increased to 67 in 2025. Moreover, by early 2026, authorities have registered another 47 cases, proving that these groups refuse to give up. This trend signals more than the mere desperation of individuals, as these criminals know how to transfer untraceable money.
Violence in the Savoie and Charente-Maritime
The truth about these cases can be gruesome. As recently as last week, police investigators at the gendarmerie de Chambéry and the National Judicial Police Unit (UNPJ) made arrests on charges related to kidnapping. Authorities believe three suspects, aged 25 to 30 with prior criminal records, participated in a November 2025 abduction in Challes-les-Eaux.
The police report shows that the suspects had contacts all across the nation. Among them, two have been linked to a violent home robbery in Dompierre-sur-Mer. In that incident from December 2025, three hooded attackers invaded the house and brutally beat up a married couple, compelling them to surrender a massive sum of 8 million euros in cryptocurrency.
However, despite the evidence, the defendants are being supported by their attorneys. For example, attorney Baptiste Bellet, representing the suspect from Dompierre, denied all charges against his client to journalists.
Law Enforcement’s New Crypto-Tracking Strategy
The challenge faced by the police in these particular situations is in the structure of these gangs. According to Perrée, certain names appear time and time again in different cases, indicating that the professionals have turned to “crypto-jacking.” In this case, the attackers rely on violence to overcome the technological barriers protecting the digital wallets.
Kidnapping allows them to skip over the password and two-factor authorization via the application of physical violence directly. The new wave, or “black series,” of crimes only escalated in early 2025, prompting the French law enforcement agencies to adjust accordingly.
Now, the Pnaco is trying to establish an effective strategy by investigating the connection between physical attacks and tracing cryptocurrencies via the blockchain. For the regular crypto owner, risk has moved from the screen to their doorstep.
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