The final suspect in Ledger co-founder David Balland's kidnapping has been arrested in Spain, ending a lengthy international manhunt linked to a violent ransom plot targeting cryptocurrency assets.
Spanish police have arrested the last remaining suspect in the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland, bringing to a close a cross-border manhunt that began after the January 2025 attack in central France. According to Spanish authorities, the man had been on the run for months before being tracked down in the Málaga area.
The arrest was carried out in Benalmádena under a European arrest warrant issued by France, according to Cointelegraph and other reports. Spanish Civil Guard officers said the suspect had moved through several cities, including Valencia, Seville and Cadiz, before being located near Málaga, where a sizeable police deployment was used because investigators considered him dangerous.
Balland and his partner were abducted from their home in the Cher region on 21 January 2025, in what prosecutors described as a ransom plot aimed at extracting Bitcoin. Reports at the time said the kidnappers demanded the equivalent of about $11.5 million, while other accounts put the figure at roughly €10 million.
French prosecutors said the pair were held at separate locations before police secured their release the following night. Balland was reportedly mutilated during the ordeal, with one finger cut off, underscoring the brutality of the attack and the wider spike in physical violence targeting people linked to crypto assets.
At least 10 suspects were initially arrested after the rescue, and Spanish authorities now say the final member of the group has been captured. The Civil Guard said the suspect had received help while hiding in Spain, with accommodation allegedly arranged by another associate, and the case is now moving towards extradition to France.
The investigation has become part of a broader law-enforcement response to a rise in crypto-related kidnappings and extortion attempts across Europe. Authorities in France have stepped up cooperation with international partners as criminal groups increasingly combine digital-asset theft with old-fashioned coercion.
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