Key highlights:
- UK authorities have secured the conviction of five members of a London criminal gang for extorting $30,000 in digital assets from two victims
- The victims were kidnapped and tortured in a dingy flat before police foiled the plans of the bad actors
- Meanwhile, violent crypto crime in the UK has surged in recent years, mirroring incidents in France
A London court has convicted members of a gang that held two French crypto millionaires captive, torturing them and blackmailing them into transferring $30,000 in digital assets. While France has become the global epicenter of crypto crime, violent incidents are spilling into the UK, with the same extortion tactics seen across the English Channel.
Victims targeted over crypto wealth
Jurors at Inner London Crown Court found Gerson Borges and Mohamed Osman guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment. The trio of William Adebisi, Julius George and Isaac Bakoya were convicted of false imprisonment, while the alleged mastermind remains at large.
According to prosecutors, the victims, both in their 20s, were known for showcasing lavish lifestyles on social media, making them attractive targets for extortion. Back in July 2025, armed attackers ambushed the French crypto millionaires at gunpoint and moved them to a flat in Canning Town.
Authorities confirmed that during their 52-hour captivity, the victims were stripped naked, bound with tape, burned with cigarettes and threatened with mutilation unless they transferred cryptocurrency worth $150,000. Furthermore, the victims noted that they had boiling water poured over their genitals and were threatened with
The victims ultimately sent $30,000 in digital assets to the gang, leading to the release of one individual. The remaining victim told investigators he feared he had been sold to another criminal group for further extortion.
The Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad located the hideout after tracking a mobile phone left behind during the ambush. Officers advised friends of the victims to delay additional ransom payments while investigators traced the suspects.
Police eventually intercepted a vehicle carrying one of the victims, triggering a pursuit through London streets at speeds reaching about 70 mph before the car crashed into a lamppost. Officers rescued the victim with his hands still tied and visible cigarette burns on his body.
Crypto crime spills into the UK from France
Violent crypto crime in France reached its zenith with French authorities recording 77 kidnappings and extortions linked to digital assets in the first six months of 2026. The figure represents a 71% increase from the 45 cases tracked across all of 2025, costing victims millions of euros in ransom payments.
British law enforcement has documented a significant increase in violent crime targeting digital asset holders in the UK. Security experts warned that the UK's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), forcing exchanges to report detailed user information including full names and physical home addresses, is linked to an increase in incidents.
Unregistered peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and illegal crypto operations in London provide a ready-made pipeline for criminals to move stolen funds. Outside of violent theft, crypto hacks have surged in the first half of 2026, with the Coldcard breach sending shockwaves across the Bitcoin ecosystem.
