France reports 135 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings since 2023

The French National Anti-Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office (Pnaco) has recorded 135 kidnappings or sequestrations linked to cryptocurrency since 2023. This includes 88 formal investigations and 75 instances of pretrial detention.

Data indicates a rising trend in these incidents, with 67 cases reported in 2025 and 47 in the first four months of 2026. While authorities have identified structured networks, judicial outcomes have been limited. To date, only five significant decisions have been rendered, all against low-level executors. No mastermind or perpetrator of a kidnapping for ransom has yet been convicted in France regarding this specific wave of crimes.