Spain Arrests Final Suspect in Ledger Founder's 2025 Kidnapping

Spanish authorities have arrested the final suspect in the January 2025 kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland and his wife, capping a cross-border investigation into one of Europe's most prominent cryptocurrency-related abductions. The detention occurred last week in Benalmádena, a coastal town in the southern province of Málaga, following a European arrest warrant issued by French judicial officials.

Balland and his wife were abducted from their home in the Cher region of central France on January 21, 2025. The attackers held the couple for approximately 24 hours, demanding a ransom of 10 million euros, equivalent to about 11.5 million, in cryptocurrency. Investigators reported that the kidnappers tortured Balland by severing one of his fingers, which they sent to his associates as a threat to compel payment. His wife was confined in the trunk of a car outside Paris during part of the ordeal. French police launched a rapid operation that night, rescuing the victims and arresting several perpetrators on site. Authorities described the assault as a coordinated effort by a criminal group targeting high-profile figures in the crypto industry.