Armed Men Steal $820K in Crypto From French Family in Ploudalmezeau Home Invasion
Two hooded men armed with a pistol held a Brittany family
hostage for more than three hours on April 20, 2026, forcing the
transfer of approximately $820,000 in cryptocurrency before fleeing in a stolen vehicle.
the attack took place around 9:00 a.m. at a residential home in the Keruscat housing development in Ploudalmezeau, a commune of roughly 6,500 people north of Brest in France‘s Finistere department. The father, who works in the cryptocurrency sector, was not home at the time.
Le Télégramme reports that five family members were present: a mother in her thirties, her two young children, and two grandparents. The attackers isolated the children in a separate room, then tied and gagged the three adults.
Under threat of physical violence, including explicit threats to cut off
a finger, the mother was coerced into providing the password to the
couple’s digital wallet and completing a transfer of approximately
700,000 euros in digital assets.
A neighbor noticed something unusual and called authorities around 12:30
p.m. The two men fled the scene, taking one of the family’s vehicles.
Police launched a large search operation across northern Finistere. The
stolen vehicle was recovered that evening, abandoned in the parking lot
of a training center in Brest.
Local surveillance cameras at nearby roundabouts captured footage that
investigators are now reviewing. The Brest prosecutor’s office opened an
initial inquiry before quickly transferring the case to the Juridiction
Interregionale Specialisee, or JIRS, in Rennes, the French court that
handles organized crime.
France has recorded more than 40 cryptocurrency-linked kidnappings since January 2026
JIRS Rennes, France’s organized crime court, is leading the investigation with no arrests made as of April 22, 2026.
Mayor David Carrega visited the family the afternoon of the attack and
arranged psychological support at a local hospital. All five victims
were reported as traumatized.