France prosecutes 88 suspects in crypto "wrench attack" cases, including over 10 minors

Odaily reported that the French National Office for the Prosecution of Organized Crime (PNACO) issued a statement on Friday stating that France has launched judicial investigations into 12 cryptocurrency kidnapping cases orchestrated by organized criminal groups, and has currently prosecuted 88 suspects, including over 10 minors.

According to statistics, since 2023, France has recorded a total of 135 crypto-related attacks, including 18 in 2024, 67 in 2025, and 47 so far in 2026. The prosecuted individuals face charges such as kidnapping, illegal detention, extortion, and money laundering. Recently, police arrested 6 suspects in two operations targeting kidnapping cases, and all of them are currently in pretrial detention. CertiK blockchain intelligence analyst Jonathan Riss stated that the masterminds of such criminal groups are typically located outside the EU.