Cryptocurrency-related kidnappings in France remain a major problem following recent information shared by the National Anti-Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office. In the past three years, authorities have reported more than 100 such incidents, describing a rapidly evolving criminal practice.
French cryptocurrency hijackings rise to 46 cases in 2026 so far
According to local media resignationVanessa Perry, Head of the National Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime, shares an update on cryptocurrency-related kidnappings in France. The Chief Prosecutor announced that there are 12 ongoing cases related to these criminal incidents, including 88 defendants, of whom 75 are in pretrial detention.
Vanessa Perret reports that there have been 46 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings so far in 2026, an alarming growth rate compared to the total of 67 cases recorded in 2025. Earlier this week, ZachXBT and Binance Security found the chain total Attempts to seize $800,000 in ransom after the father of a French influencer was kidnapped. In total, 135 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings have occurred in the European country since 2023.
In these cases, French authorities identified multiple cases involving the same individuals, indicating a specific criminal network. For example, three men aged between 25 and 30 were convicted last week of a kidnapping incident in Chalet Les Odes in November 2025. However, two of these men were also involved in a similar incident in Dompierre-sur-Mer in December 2025, where they forcefully extracted €8 million from a couple.
Interestingly, Telegram founder Pavel Durov has made some fiery claims about this developing phenomenon. Bitcoinist I mentioned Durov accuses French officials of complicity in these crimes by selling cryptocurrency data to the kidnappers. The tech CEO claims the tax database is poorly maintained and has spoken out against social media data collection, which he claimed has created more avenues for data leaks.
At the same time, Perry stressed the government’s commitment to cracking down on cryptocurrency-related kidnappings, which have been increasing since January 2025. In addition, Jean Didier, representative of the French Ministry of the Interior, also confirmed plans to introduce tougher measures. according to Data from TripleAFrance represents a leading cryptocurrency hub in Europe with 5% of its population (3.4 million) owning one cryptocurrency or another.
Crypto market overview
Data from CoinMarketCap shows that the total cryptocurrency market cap stands at $2.59 trillion, down 0.08% from the last day. Meanwhile, the total trading volume stands at $101.01 billion.
Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview
Editing process Bitcoinist focuses on providing well-researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We adhere to strict sourcing standards, and every page is carefully reviewed by our team of senior technology experts and experienced editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content to our readers.
