French authorities organize a meeting with crypto entrepreneurs due to a wave of crimes
Date: 2025-05-15 Author: Henry Casey Categories: IN WORLD
French Interior Minister Bruno Retaillo announced an urgent meeting with representatives of the crypto sector, which will be held this Friday at the Ministry of the Interior. The reason for this was the increasing number of attacks and kidnapping attempts against crypto entrepreneurs and their families.
The main objective of the event will be to discuss joint actions to ensure security and raise awareness of emerging threats. The minister emphasized the need to establish systemic interaction between government agencies and the crypto community to form sustainable protection mechanisms.
Retaillo noted that such incidents require not only internal coordination, but also cooperation with international partners, since the criminals may be hiding outside the country. According to him, the authorities intend not only to protect citizens, but also to prosecute the perpetrators in any jurisdiction.
The reason for tightening the measures was an attempted kidnapping that took place on May 13 in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Then, three armed masked men attacked the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noiz, the head of the crypto exchange Paymium. The criminals tried to drag them into a van by force, but the woman put up active resistance, managing to knock the weapon out of one of the attackers. Thanks to her actions and the help of passers-by, the attack was thwarted. The victims received minor injuries and were taken to hospital.
This case became part of an alarming trend. In January 2025, David Balland, one of the founders of Ledger, was kidnapped and tortured. The criminals demanded access to his crypto assets. The police subsequently arrested at least ten people, including the alleged organizer of the attack.
And on May 3, in the suburbs of Paris, the father of a crypto millionaire was taken hostage - the attackers were counting on a ransom of 5 to 7 million euros. The hostage was freed during a police operation, and seven people were detained.
The French authorities are striving not only to respond quickly, but also to prevent such crimes. Similar cases are also recorded outside of France. For example, in Ukraine, the police uncovered a criminal kidnapping plot organized by a father and son who were in Croatia. The goal was to gain access to a cryptocurrency wallet with $500,000. Both defendants are awaiting trial and could receive up to 12 years in prison.
