detained

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, a 45-year-old woman born in Russia and naturalized in France in 2017, Svetlana A., has recently been placed under investigation and detained by a Paris investigating judge on charges of organized fraud, serious money laundering, and participation in a criminal gang. The French National Financial Prosecutor's Office stated that she and her British partner Robert H. are suspected of committing organized fraud by manipulating cryptocurrency prices, with the related funds suspected to be used for purchasing properties in Dubai.Reports indicate that Svetlana A. invested over 50 million euros in 2022 alone, acquiring about 100 apartments and 3 luxury villas in Dubai, with total rental income from 2022 to 2025 expected to be at least 4 million euros; she also purchased an entire building containing 73 apartments for 68 million dirhams (approximately 17.4 million euros). The cryptocurrency mentioned in the report is Verasity (VRA), launched by her partner in 2018. The price of VRA surged 65 times over a two-and-a-half-month period in the spring of 2021, followed by a significant decline, currently down approximately 99.98% from its historical peak. The lawyer for the parties involved stated that the sources of the related wealth are documented and legal, and they deny any wrongdoing. The case is still under investigation.

According to a report from the Public Security Bureau of Linwu County, Hunan Province, on August 19, 2026, the Public Security Bureau of Linwu County, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province discovered fraud clues during routine inspections and successfully cracked a virtual currency investment fraud case, arresting two criminal suspects.Upon investigation, on May 1, 2026, the suspect Li met the victim, Ms. Yue, through private messages on a social platform, falsely claiming to teach virtual currency investment skills with guaranteed profits. He induced her to download a certain app to purchase Tether (USDT) and then exchange it for a newly issued virtual currency manipulated by his "superior." Li, in collusion with his "superior," created the illusion of rising prices to lure the victim into increasing her investment; once the funds were in place, they quickly crashed the market, causing the virtual currency's value to drop to zero. Ms. Yue lost approximately 30,000 yuan, while Li illegally profited tens of thousands of yuan, which was collected by his friend Lei and squandered.On August 19, the investigating police arrested Li; on September 17, Lei, who was suspected of collecting the stolen funds, was also apprehended. Both have been criminally detained according to the law. The police remind: virtual currency is not legal tender, and there are no "guaranteed profit" projects. Recommendations for high returns made through private messages online are all fraud traps. Do not easily trust investment recommendations from strangers or transfer money to unfamiliar platforms.

According to The New York Times, two Binance employees were detained by police in the UAE in recent weeks as part of an investigation into potential financial crimes involving the exchange. Binance responded that this is a routine inquiry regarding third-party fund flows.Binance stated that the relevant employees have now been cleared and released. The report did not disclose further details about the case or the identities of those involved.

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)