Five men convicted after London kidnapping forced crypto transfers from French investors

Verdicts returned after London trial

The jury found Gerson Borges and Mohamed Osman guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment. Julius George, Isaac Bakoya and William Adebisi were convicted of false imprisonment.

The same defendants were cleared of kidnapping, possessing an imitation firearm and sexual assault charges. During the proceedings, prosecutors said Ibrahim Mohamed directed the group from overseas through WhatsApp and Snapchat, but he has not been arrested.

What prosecutors said happened

Evidence presented in court showed that the two victims had traveled from France to London and were staying in Kensington. After arranging to buy cannabis in east London, they left a rented Mercedes in Shadwell, where prosecutors said three masked men armed with a gun and a knife confronted them and forced them back into the vehicle.

The pair were then driven to a flat in Canning Town, where they told investigators they were held for about 52 hours. Prosecutors said they were stripped, tied with tape and cable ties, beaten, burned with cigarettes and scalded with boiling water, including on their genitals. The court also heard that the gang threatened mutilation, sexual violence and harm to one victim’s girlfriend unless cryptocurrency was handed over.

According to the prosecution case, the attackers first demanded $150,000 in crypto. The victims ultimately transferred around $30,000 before the group decided no more funds were immediately available. The court heard that one victim was later released while the other remained captive and told police in a recorded interview that he believed he had been “sold” to another criminal group for further extortion.

How police found the victims

Investigators said the case turned when a friend who had been traveling with the victims escaped during the ambush. Although he was pulled from the Mercedes, his phone was left inside the vehicle without the attackers noticing.

After he reached a McDonald’s in Earl’s Court and convinced a security guard to call emergency services, police used the phone’s location data and CCTV footage to identify where the captives were being held. Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad then intercepted the suspects after a pursuit through residential streets that reportedly reached about 70 mph.

Prosecutors said one victim was rescued from the suspects’ car with his hands still tied, and officers saw cigarette burns on his face, including his forehead and cheek. The two victims later declined to give evidence in person, telling the court they remained afraid of the group.

Broader pattern of crypto-linked violence

The London case comes amid continued concern over violent crimes targeting people linked to digital assets, with offenders using physical coercion to obtain access to cryptocurrency rather than relying only on online theft.

France has also reported an increase in such cases. According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, authorities recorded 77 incidents in 2026 involving kidnapping, unlawful detention, extortion or attempted offences tied to the crypto sector, up from 45 cases in 2025. He said around 200 people had been arrested after attacks or preventive operations, and the government had expanded coordination between law enforcement and the digital asset industry.

In the London trial, prosecutors said the victims’ online display of wealth may have been one factor in their selection. The immediate confirmed position in the case is that five men have now been convicted, while the alleged organizer named in court remains unaccounted for.