Six Detained in France Over Failed Magistrate Kidnapping and Crypto Ransom Plot - Crypto Economy

TL;DR

• French police detained six suspects after a 30-hour kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother, during which a cryptocurrency ransom was demanded.
• The victims were held in a garage in Bourg-lès-Valence, managed to escape by making noise, and were found injured without any ransom being paid.
• The captors sent a photo and threats of mutilation to the magistrate’s partner, an executive at a crypto startup.

French police arrested six people, including a minor, over an attempted kidnapping of a 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother. The case involved a ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency. The operation took place after the victims were held captive for around 30 hours and ended without any ransom being paid.

The kidnapping occurred overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. The captors moved the victims and held them in a garage located in Bourg-lès-Valence, in the Drôme department in southeastern France. On Friday morning, both women were found injured after managing to escape on their own.

The Cryptocurrency Ransom Was Not Paid

According to the Lyon prosecutor’s office, the kidnappers sent a text message to the magistrate’s partner containing a photograph of her, demanding a cryptocurrency payment for her release. In the message, the perpetrators threatened to physically mutilate the victims if the transfer was not carried out quickly. Prosecutors did not disclose the amount demanded.


The two women managed to free themselves by repeatedly banging on the garage door from inside. A neighbor heard the noise, opened the door, and allowed both to escape, after which authorities were notified.

The investigation led to the detention of four men and one woman. Three arrests took place overnight and two more on Sunday morning. A minor was detained later that same day. Two of the suspects were intercepted while attempting to board a bus bound for Spain. The woman detained is the partner of one of the male suspects.

A Trend That Continues to Grow in Europe

The operation involved the deployment of around 160 officers and remains ongoing, as authorities continue searching for other possible suspects. During a press conference, prosecutor Thierry Dran confirmed that the magistrate’s partner holds an executive position at a startup linked to the crypto industry and was not at home at the time of the kidnapping.


This case adds to a series of kidnappings and extortion attempts recorded in France since January 2025, all targeting individuals connected to the crypto sector or their family members. Previous cases include the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland and the abduction of the father of a Malta-based crypto entrepreneur, both involving amputations and demands for multimillion-euro ransoms