In a joint operation announced in mid-December 2025, Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), in collaboration with Danish authorities, dismantled a transnational criminal organization responsible for a violent kidnapping and murder targeting cryptocurrency holdings.
The crime occurred in April 2025 in Mijas, Málaga province, southern Spain. A couple— the man of Dutch origin, aged 37, and his Colombian partner, aged 29 was ambushed by 3-4 masked assailants armed with handguns, dressed in black with gloves and balaclavas.
The man was shot in the leg while attempting to escape. Both victims were forced into a vehicle and taken to a house, where they were held for several hours.
The attackers demanded access to the couple’s cryptocurrency wallets in an attempt to steal their digital assets. The woman was released around midnight and immediately reported the kidnapping to police.
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The man’s body was later found in a wooded area near Mijas, showing multiple signs of violence beyond the gunshot wound.
Police Operation and Arrests
Spanish police conducted raids in Madrid and Málaga, arresting five suspects. Seized items included firearms— one real, one simulated, clothing with blood stains, a balaclava, an extendable baton, and biological evidence linking to the crime scene.
In Denmark, four additional suspects were charged; two were already imprisoned for similar offenses. The operation, sometimes referred to in media as “Operación Lambo/Urus” possibly due to the victim’s luxurious lifestyle, including a high-end Lamborghini, effectively dismantled the network.
Rise of “Wrench Attacks”
This case exemplifies a growing trend known as “wrench attacks” — physical assaults or kidnappings to forcibly extract private keys or transfer funds from crypto wallets, bypassing digital security.
Security experts, such as Jameson Lopp CTO of Casa, tracked at least 66 physical crypto-related assaults in 2025 alone, with reports indicating a significant spike globally. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis noted that violent personal wallet attacks are on track for record levels in 2025.
The successful international cooperation highlights increasing efforts to combat crypto-related violent crime across Europe, as high-value digital asset holders become targets for organized gangs. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities process seized materials.
Similar to the Spanish case involving a violent kidnapping and murder targeting cryptocurrency holdings, the United States has seen a sharp increase in “wrench attacks” — physical assaults, home invasions, kidnappings, and torture aimed at forcing victims to transfer crypto assets.
Attacks correlate strongly with Bitcoin’s price boom, making high-value holders prime targets. Many cases go unreported due to embarrassment or fear.
Crypto investors John Woeltz and William Duplessie allegedly held an Italian visitor captive for weeks in a luxury SoHo townhouse, torturing him including electric shocks and dangling over stairs to access his Bitcoin wallet worth millions.
Brothers Raymond and Isiah Garcia allegedly held a family hostage at gunpoint for nine hours in Grant, MN, kidnapping one member and stealing $8 million in cryptocurrency. The incident forced a local school to cancel homecoming events for safety.
Scene from the Minnesota family kidnapping where armed suspects stole $8M in crypto. Three Florida teenagers allegedly abducted a crypto entrepreneur after a conference, drove him to the desert, and stole $4-4.8 million in crypto and NFTs. Two were charged as adults with kidnapping and robbery.
Remy St. Felix led a gang targeting crypto holders in North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and New York. Victims were kidnapped, assaulted, tortured, burned with irons, objects under fingernails, and forced to drain wallets. St. Felix received a 47-year sentence.
Other incidents include burglaries coordinated via hacked iCloud accounts and opportunistic assaults on known holders. Chainalysis projects 2025 could see twice as many physical attacks as previous record years, with the US among top victim countries.
Lopp’s database logs over 225 global attacks since 2014, with accelerating frequency. Criminals often research victims via social media flaunting wealth or on-chain data, then use violence for quick, irreversible transfers.
These cases underscore growing physical risks for self-custody holders, prompting some to shift toward institutional custody or enhanced personal security. Law enforcement responses have led to arrests in several high-profile incidents, but the trend continues amid crypto’s mainstream adoption.