Three Arrested in Spain for a plot to steal and intercept a blockchain agent

A British crypto broker jumped 30 feet from a balcony in Estepona, Spain to escape kidnappers who demanded$ 31, 000 ( €30, 000 ) in digital assets.

Luckily, the agent managed to survive what appears to be another “wrench attack” of what has become known as crypto extortion.

According to reports from Colonial officials cited by , the 34-year-old target broke both feet during the escape, but eventually managed to avoid giving consumer funds after using Hindi during a coerced telephone call to inform a friend in London of his situation.

Three American suspects were detained by the Spanish National Police in Malaga as a result of the affair. Officials discovered €10, 000, two handguns, three swords, and 25 grams of red cocaine during a research of the room where the sufferer was held.

Chance gathering

According to researchers, the abduction started at a chance gathering in Marbella, on the Costa del Sol. The suspects had been residing temporarily in a nearby room in Estepona, and the dealer accepted an invitation to a drink there.

Once there, the kidnappers threatened to torture and murder the victim unless he transferred$ 30,000 in crypto from his customers ‘ accounts. The kidnappers bound the seller, then demanded exposure to crypto wallets from the firm’s clientele.

The survivor made the mistake of giving a phone call while pretending to have access to her pocket. Speaking in Hindi to stop his prisoners from understanding, he informed a companion in London of his position. The companion then contacted the murderer’s mom, who alerted authorities.

Following the release of the theft report on February 1, Spanish government launched a search operation. Initially, officials reportedly observed suspicious activity in a private difficult before witnessing the victim’s avoid effort from the deck.

The three suspects attempted to flee, but were immediately apprehended and then face charges including kidnapping, rape, legal institution account, weapons hands, and drug smuggling.

While recovering from the wounds sustained during the escape, the victim is still in the hospital.

This comes in response to a similar incident earlier in January where Ledger co-founder David Balland was kidnapped and later suffered mutilation. Ten suspects aged between 20 and 40 were arrested in connection with Balland’s case.

What is a wrench attack?

A “wrench attack” is used in crypto-related crime incidents to refer to physical assaults and other forms of coercion directed at individuals or groups who possess a significant amount of crypto.

Wreck attacks exploit the technical difficulty of the majority of blockchains to reverse transactions, in contrast to cyberattacks, which can at least have some form of prevention and mitigation.

According to a study conducted by computer science researchers at the University of Cambridge and University College of London, the term comes from an 2012 XKCD comic.

The researchers claimed that “many attacks go unreported,” despite the fact that “most media outlets report” cryptomillionaires or dramatic incidents.”

Over the years, crypto-related crime has become “increasingly diverse and professionalized”, according to on-chain forensics firm Chainalysis.

” […] of the total$ 40.9 billion received by illicit crypto addresses in 2024,$ 10.8 billion was received by” illicit-actor org, “our catch-all term for wallets of services and individuals both directly committing cybercrime like hacking, extortion, trafficking, or scams”, Chainalysis noted in its 2025 Crypto Crime Report.