Point of Focus

• Two French crypto millionaires were kidnapped in London.
• The victims allegedly flaunted their wealth on social media.
• The two men were tied up, stripped and held captive in a blackmail plot.

Two cryptocurrency millionaires were kidnapped, tied up and forced to strip naked after allegedly attracting criminals by displaying their lavish lifestyles on social media, a London court has heard.

The two victims, both French nationals in their 20s, were visiting London when they were abducted in July. Prosecutors said the operation was directed remotely by an alleged overseas ringleader known as “Nino,” whose real name is Ibrahim Mohamed.

Mohamed remains at large and is accused of coordinating the kidnapping through WhatsApp and Snapchat.

Victims ambushed by masked gunmen

The victims had been staying in Kensington, West London, before travelling across the city to buy cannabis. They were then ambushed by three masked men carrying firearms, according to evidence presented at Inner London Crown Court.

The attackers allegedly forced the pair back into their rented Mercedes and drove them to a nearby apartment, where they were restrained, stripped and held captive as part of a blackmail plot.

🇬🇧🇫🇷 Two crypto millionaires got kidnapped and tortured over a drug run in London.

The pair, both French and in their 20s, had driven from Kensington to east London to buy cannabis, and that's when three masked men with a gun and knife grabbed them and hauled them to a flat in… pic.twitter.com/dGL6vbigk6

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 3, 2026

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe KC told jurors that the men may have drawn “unwanted attention” after posting details of their wealth and extravagant lifestyles online.

Police eventually located the victims and pursued several suspects during a high-speed chase through London. Three alleged gang members were arrested following the pursuit, while Gerson Borges, another suspected participant, was detained two days later.

Seven men appeared in court facing charges including kidnapping, blackmail, sexual assault and false imprisonment. Five were found guilty of false imprisonment, according to reports.

Crypto wealth creates new kidnapping risk

The London case reflects a growing physical-security threat facing cryptocurrency holders. Unlike money stored in conventional bank accounts, digital assets can often be transferred quickly and irreversibly once criminals obtain a victim’s wallet credentials.

Publicly showcasing crypto wealth can therefore expose investors not only to online scams and hacking attempts but also to physical attacks sometimes described as “wrench attacks.”

🇺🇸CRYPTO INVESTOR TURNED TORTURE KINGPIN IN NYC HORROR PAD

A Kentucky crypto bro allegedly turned a $40K/month SoHo rental into a full-blown torture chamber to extort millions from an Italian tourist.

Police say John Woeltz bound the man for 2 weeks, electrocuted him,… pic.twitter.com/55pZIm3g3G

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 24, 2025

In May 2025, crypto investor John Woeltz was charged in New York over the alleged kidnapping and torture of a 28-year-old Italian man. Prosecutors said the victim was held for weeks inside a luxury SoHo property as his captors attempted to obtain the password to his Bitcoin holdings.

The man told police he had been beaten, shocked, threatened with a firearm and dangled from the upper floors of the building. Woeltz pleaded not guilty and was initially ordered to remain in custody without bail.

Both cases underscore the risks of linking real-world identities, locations and visible wealth to cryptocurrency holdings on public platforms.