Suspect in Ledger co-founder abduction case apprehended in Spain
Authorities in Spain have captured an individual sought by French law enforcement in connection with the 2025 abduction of David Balland, Ledger's co-founder, part of a broader pattern of cryptocurrency-related kidnappings.
Law enforcement officials in Spain have successfully apprehended an individual suspected of participating in the 2025 abduction of David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, representing a significant cross-border development in what stands as one of Europe's most prominent cryptocurrency-related kidnapping incidents.
According to Spain's Civil Guard, authorities took the individual into custody in Benalmádena, located in Málaga's southern province, acting on a European arrest warrant that had been issued by French authorities. Allegations against the detained man include participation in both the kidnapping and torture of Balland, during which the perpetrators demanded a payment of 10 million euros (approximately $11.5 million) for his release.
The abduction of Balland occurred at his residence in central France on Jan. 21, 2025, where he remained in captivity until law enforcement conducted a rescue operation that successfully freed him during the evening hours of Jan. 22.
This arrest represents the most recent progression in the investigation, which has involved collaborative efforts between law enforcement agencies in France and Spain. Previously, French authorities had successfully identified and taken into custody additional members of the criminal group responsible for the attack on Balland, while this remaining suspect had reportedly escaped to Spain in an attempt to avoid apprehension, according to statements from the Civil Guard.
Fugitive moved across Spain before arrest
Law enforcement personnel traced the suspect's location to Valencia province, where he had established residence alongside his romantic partner and an acquaintance. The trio maintained a deliberately inconspicuous lifestyle, residing in various apartments secured via online rental platforms and utilizing a bank card registered to another individual's name to prevent creating a financial trail.
As reported by the Civil Guard, the suspect subsequently relocated through the cities of Seville and Cádiz before investigators successfully pinpointed his whereabouts and executed the arrest in the municipality of Benalmadena.
Law enforcement officials further explained that executing the arrest, transportation and detention necessitated an extensive police operation given the suspect's dangerous nature and the potential threat that associates within the criminal organization to which he was connected might make efforts to facilitate his escape.
Crypto-linked attacks targeting individuals in France
This incident represents merely one example within a more extensive series of cryptocurrency-related violent attacks that occurred throughout France during 2025. During June, French law enforcement authorities brought charges against 25 individuals in connection with multiple kidnappings and kidnapping attempts targeting cryptocurrency executives and private investors.
Within that identical month, another cryptocurrency holder was forcibly taken and detained in France for a period spanning several hours, during which the assailants demanded both physical currency and access credentials to a hardware wallet that reportedly contained funds of an amount not publicly disclosed.
In an incident from earlier that year, both the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, who serves as CEO of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform, became targets of an abduction attempt, though the intended victims successfully resisted their attackers and managed to escape unharmed.