detained

Recently, the public security agencies of Zhanjiang and Leizhou in Guangdong, China, launched a concentrated crackdown operation, successfully dismantling a money laundering criminal gang that used virtual currency transactions to transfer funds from telecom network fraud. Sixteen members were criminally detained in accordance with the law.The gang, led by a couple named He and Zhang, began laundering and transferring fraudulently obtained funds through virtual currency trading models since the end of 2025. They illegally profited by earning transaction price differences and amassed a large number of personal bank cards, WeChat, Alipay, and other payment accounts to build a money laundering chain. In the early hours of July 24, the police conducted a precise cross-regional operation, dismantling the entire gang. The Zhanjiang Public Security Bureau solemnly reminds that "score running" money laundering is an important accomplice in telecom network fraud. Involved individuals will be charged based on the severity of their actions, suspected of aiding information network criminal activities, concealing and disguising criminal proceeds, and crimes related to the benefits of criminal proceeds.Citizens are strongly advised not to rent, lend, or sell personal bank cards and various payment accounts for the sake of small commissions. They must resolutely avoid participating in illegal activities such as virtual currency fund transfers and money laundering. Everyone should consciously protect their personal credit and property safety and actively stay away from all types of fraud-related criminal activities.

In response to Radha Stirling's claims about multiple Dubai crypto figures being abused in UAE detention centers, on-chain investigator ZachXBT stated that the individuals referred to as "crypto entrepreneurs" are actually threat actors suspected of involvement in high-impact social engineering crypto scams and data extortion. Law enforcement has seized $18.9 million in stolen funds.

The French National Anti-Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office (Pnaco) has stated that cases of kidnapping and illegal detention involving cryptocurrency are continuing to surge. Among the 12 related cases currently under investigation, 88 people have been prosecuted, including more than 10 minors, and another 75 are in custody awaiting trial.Prosecutor's data shows that since 2023, French law enforcement has recorded 135 such cases, with 18 in 2024, rising to 67 in 2025, and reaching 47 so far in 2026. Many of these cases involve violent kidnappings, ransom extortion, and forcing victims to transfer cryptocurrency assets. The prosecution pointed out that some suspects have appeared multiple times in different cases, indicating the formation of a structured criminal network behind it. The previous kidnapping incident involving Ledger co-founder David Balland is also seen as an important sign of the escalating security risks in the French cryptocurrency industry.

According to TVB News, a 25-year-old businessman from the mainland reported that he was illegally confined and extorted by four mainland men at a hotel in Hung Hom, Hong Kong. The suspects beat the victim and forced him to provide his electronic currency password, subsequently transferring approximately $680,000 worth of cryptocurrency. The suspects then went to the victim's company to take away about 42 kilograms of silver goods, with the total loss exceeding 6 million Hong Kong dollars. After being released in the early morning, the victim reported to the police, suffering injuries to his face, arms, and calves. The case is currently classified as illegal confinement and extortion, and is being investigated by the Kowloon City Police District's Serious Crimes Unit.

The Russian police have detained 7 employees of "Russian Grids Moscow Region" (Россети Московский регион), who are suspected of assisting in illegal cryptocurrency mining operations within the Moscow region.The arrested individuals hold positions ranging from ordinary electricians to senior engineers. Investigators claim that these utility company employees provided paid services to illegal mining sites, including artificially lowering electricity meter readings and helping to evade scheduled and unscheduled inspections. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the preliminary economic damage caused by these actions is estimated at around 10 million rubles.

According to Dlnews, the police in St. Petersburg, Russia, arrested a man who attempted to rob a cryptocurrency exchange by detonating fake grenades.The 21-year-old unemployed man entered the exchange office located on Khersonskaya Street in downtown St. Petersburg, detonated two fake grenades, and ignited a smoke bomb, then demanded that the staff transfer all the cryptocurrency assets of the exchange to his wallet. The St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the suspect was detained on the spot and was also carrying two undetonated fake grenades. The police have charged him under Article 162 of the Russian Criminal Code (robbery).

The Public Security Bureau of Shunqing District, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province successfully dismantled a "score-running" gang that used virtual currency for money laundering, arresting 5 criminal suspects including Wang. It is reported that Wang and others discovered "high-paying job" advertisements online and formed a professional "team" to engage in illegal fund transfer activities.The gang connected with overseas fraud, gambling, and other black market groups through overseas encrypted chat software, recruiting members to specifically target socially idle individuals to handle bank cards, thus constructing a complete criminal chain. According to the police handling the case, this criminal group recruited "card farmers" with the bait of "high commissions," providing card numbers to overseas clients. After the funds were transferred in, they were instructed to split and transfer to designated accounts. Once the "score running" was completed, the client settled the "reward" through virtual currency. Currently, the 5 criminal suspects have been criminally detained according to the law, and the case is under further investigation. The police remind that renting, lending, or selling bank cards and payment accounts are all suspected of illegal crimes.

ChainCatcher news, Trump stated in an interview that the suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk has been detained.It is reported that Charlie Kirk is an American conservative political activist who promoted Bitcoin during several campus speeches and was killed at a campus event on September 10.

ChainCatcher news, Argentine Ethereum developer and LambdaClass founder Federico Carrone (@fede_intern), who was previously detained by Turkish authorities, stated on X that he has taken the opportunity to travel to Europe and will disclose more details about his detention upon arriving in Europe.Earlier reports indicated that Federico Carrone was detained by Turkish authorities in Izmir, Turkey, who accused him of assisting others in "abusing" the Ethereum network, but specific details remain unclear.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, an Argentine blockchain developer using the alias "Fede's intern" claimed to have been detained in Izmir, Turkey on August 11. It is alleged that the Turkish Ministry of Interior accused him of assisting others in "abusing Ethereum," although specific details of the charges have not been disclosed.The developer stated that he has currently obtained assistance from a legal team and emphasized that his team is only engaged in infrastructure development.It is reported that this developer is associated with the investment firm Lambda Class and the blockchain solutions company Aligned.

ChainCatcher news, according to BeInCrypto, an Ethereum developer known as "Fede the Intern" has been detained in Izmir, Turkey, on suspicion of helping others "abuse" Ethereum. The developer stated in a post on X that authorities accused him of assisting in this activity."Fede the Intern" denies any wrongdoing and emphasizes that he and his team are "just infrastructure builders" and are willing to cooperate with authorities. During his "detention," he intermittently posted updates, stating that he had been moved to a private room and provided with food.He also claimed that arrangements were being made for him to take a private jet out of Turkey to Europe within a few hours. Upon arriving in Europe, he will continue to contest the charges with his legal team.

ChainCatcher news, on-chain detective ZachXBT tweeted that the police mistakenly detained former Yuga Labs security researcher Sam Curry in the 2022 Bored Ape NFT theft case (involving 14 NFTs worth over $1 million). ZachXBT identified the real suspect's wallet and its associated X accounts (now deleted) by tracking the flow of funds (including the Tornado Cash mixer).He pointed out that the police incorrectly used Curry's IP address (which appeared in the OpenSea logs due to his investigative work) as evidence, while Curry actually discovered the private key left by the attacker during his investigation of the theft.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, U.S. authorities have recently begun to release some of the previously seized Chinese-made cryptocurrency mining machines. Industry insiders revealed that as many as 10,000 mining machines were held up at various entry ports in the United States.Taras Kulyk, CEO of Synteq Digital, stated that thousands of devices have been released, but he noted that some U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are making things difficult for the crypto industry, causing miners to face serious challenges.Although some mining machines have been released, Ethan Vera, COO of Luxor Technology, stated that most devices are still in a seized state. He also revealed that U.S. authorities had expressed concerns about the radio frequency emissions of the mining machines, but the industry generally believes these allegations are unfounded.

ChainCatcher news, according to CNBC, prominent attorney Tom Goldstein has been detained by the court for allegedly concealing cryptocurrency assets. Prosecutors pointed out that Goldstein did not disclose two cryptocurrency wallets he controls to the pretrial department, which received over $8 million in funds last week and transferred out over $6 million in the past five days.Prosecutors stated that since November 2022, one of the wallets had received and sent amounts of $75.6 million and $73.6 million, respectively. Goldstein was previously charged with tax evasion of $5.3 million in January this year, and prosecutors believe he poses a flight risk and has violated regulations prohibiting the transfer of funds without approval. Additionally, he is also suspected of providing cryptocurrency to an informant to influence witnesses.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin10 citing South Korean media reports, the Chief of the Korean National Police Agency, Cho Ji-ho, and the Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Kim Bong-jik, were formally detained on the evening of December 13.The Seoul Central District Court stated that there is a possibility that Cho Ji-ho and Kim Bong-jik may destroy evidence, and therefore issued a detention order.

ChainCatcher news reports that, according to market sources, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining certain imported Bitmain Antminer mining machines at U.S. entry points. The equipment involved includes Bitmain's Antminer S21 and T21 series, which are the latest ASIC mining machine series from Bitmain.Sources indicate that the FCC and CBP have not targeted other ASIC manufacturers such as MicroBT or Canaan. Aside from revealing that the FCC has requested a freeze, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not provided specific reasons for taking this action to the affected parties, nor has it indicated how long the goods will be detained.

ChainCatcher news, the Tongcheng City Anti-Fraud Center received a tip-off indicating that there was a large suspicious fund transaction related to fraud in the area. It is reported that the victim, Ms. Hu, met a "rich and handsome" boyfriend named Zhang online, who claimed to be working in virtual currency investment abroad, and asked her to prepare cash to hand over to a "client manager." Fortunately, the police of Tongcheng City discovered and successfully intercepted the situation in time. Upon investigation, the so-called "client manager" was actually a "cash handler" recruited by an overseas fraud group. Currently, the suspect has been criminally detained in accordance with the law for suspected fraud, and the 730,000 yuan defrauded funds have all been returned to the victim. The case is under further investigation. (Anqing Voice WeChat Official Account)

ChainCatcher news, according to the Shandong Cyber Police public account, a man from Liaoning, Qu, became an offline U coin dealer after posting job information online and took a 3% cut from each transaction based on the cash received. He was arrested by the police during a transaction in September, with 217,000 yuan in illicit funds seized.After investigation, the suspect Qu confessed that he had committed crimes related to U coin transactions twice this year, earning 217,000 yuan in cash from these transactions, with his cut being over 6,000 yuan. The upper-level dealer's request for him to act as a U dealer was merely a facade; in reality, it was to withdraw money from the so-called "clients," who were all victims of their telecom network fraud. Currently, the suspect Qu has been criminally detained by the police, and the case is under further investigation.

ChainCatcher news, Binance CEO Richard Teng posted on the X platform: "We are deeply relieved and grateful that Tigran Gambaryan has finally been released after being detained in Nigeria for nearly eight months. During this difficult time, Tigran has shown tremendous strength, and we commend his resilience in such severe adversity. We are very thankful to everyone who has dedicated countless hours to support Tigran's release. Tigran's health and well-being remain our top priority, and we are glad that he can now receive the urgent medical care and rest he needs with his family. Binance remains committed to working with global regulators to ensure compliance and transparency in the ever-evolving digital asset space. We look forward to putting this incident behind us and continuing our efforts to create a brighter future for the global blockchain industry. Nigeria has a young, tech-savvy population with a strong interest in digital finance, fully capable of leveraging blockchain technology to address economic and social challenges. We look forward to playing a constructive role in this endeavor."Previous news from yesterday, according to DL News, Nigerian prosecutors withdrew criminal charges against Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan on Wednesday; Tigran Gambaryan has been detained in the African country since February.

ChainCatcher news, according to The New York Times, informed sources revealed that musician Sean 'Diddy' Combs is currently being held in the same unit of a Brooklyn prison as cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF).