BlockBeats report: On May 30, France’s Le Monde revealed new developments in the investigation of a cryptocurrency-related kidnapping case that occurred in 2023. French law enforcement, while tracing the flow of a 1.7-million-euro cryptocurrency ransom, uncovered a transnational money laundering network involving multiple countries and cryptocurrency wallets.
In the case, the kidnapped individual was the father of the well-known crypto gambling influencer "TeufeurS." The kidnappers threatened the victim's family via text message and demanded a ransom paid in cryptocurrency. Ultimately, TeufeurS transferred a total of 1.7 million euros to the kidnappers' designated wallet in two installments, after which his father was released.
The investigation revealed that portions of the ransom were transferred through multiple layers into wallets controlled by foreign citizens. One transaction of $131,000 was successfully traced by the French Gendarmerie, with leads ultimately pointing to a cryptocurrency wallet controlled by individuals from Venezuela. The case further exposed the complex laundering chain employed by criminal organizations, involving cross-border cryptocurrency transfers, anonymous wallets, and overseas platforms.
The case has been reported as one of the significant ransomware incidents in Europe's crypto industry and may serve as an early precedent for multiple crypto-related kidnappings in France and across Europe in 2025.