A suspect believed to be the last remaining fugitive connected to the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland has been arrested in Spain, according to a report by French outlet Le Parisien. The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed the arrest, stating that French authorities had identified and detained all members of the criminal organization except for this individual, who had fled France to evade capture. The suspect was located in the municipality of Benalmadena and taken into custody last week.
Authorities deployed a significant police presence during the arrest, citing the suspect’s perceived dangerousness and concerns that associates within the criminal network might attempt to intervene. The individual was not named in official statements. The operation marks the conclusion of a lengthy cross-border manhunt following the January 2025 attack.
Balland and his wife were abducted from their home in Cher, France, and held captive for approximately 24 hours. Their captors demanded a ransom of 10 million euros worth of cryptocurrency, equivalent to roughly $11.6 million, according to the Spanish Civil Guard. During the ordeal, one of Balland’s fingers was severed and mailed to his associates, Le Parisien reported at the time, citing unnamed sources.
Law enforcement eventually freed the couple, and the other kidnappers were arrested shortly afterward. In June, police in Morocco arrested French-Moroccan national Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, who was alleged to be the mastermind behind Balland’s abduction as well as other cryptocurrency-related kidnappings in France. The latest arrest in Spain now closes the case against the full group.
The attack on Balland is part of a broader and growing trend of so-called wrench attacks — physical assaults intended to coerce victims into handing over cryptocurrency. According to data from security firm CertiK, such incidents rose 75% year-over-year in the past year. France has emerged as a particular hotspot for this type of crime.
Crypto security researcher and Casa CTO Jameson Lopp maintains a database of publicly reported wrench attacks, which shows France accounting for 16 of the 23 incidents recorded so far this year. Earlier in 2025, six individuals were arrested in France for kidnapping a magistrate and demanding a cryptocurrency ransom. Separately, the CEO of Binance France was targeted in a home invasion, though he was unharmed and the alleged perpetrators were subsequently arrested.
Originally reported by Decrypt.
