The National Police has concluded the operation dubbed Kripto with the arrest of seven alleged perpetrators of a kidnapping and extortion that took place in March 2025. The detainees, who posed as police officers, approached a man in the Guanarteme neighborhood of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, forced him into a van, and held him for hours in an industrial warehouse.
Through threats and physical assault, the attackers managed to make the victim transfer a substantial amount of money in the form of cryptocurrencies. The individuals fled, believing they had gotten away with it, but over a year later, officers have managed to track them down. Two of the detainees are currently in provisional custody as the judicial investigation progresses.
The case has been shrouded in mystery, as the victim was warned by his captors about the consequences he could face if he revealed what happened. Despite this, investigators from the Specialized and Violent Crime Unit (UDEV) of the Superior Headquarters of the Police of the Canary Islands have managed to reconstruct the events.
The incident dates back to March 17th, between 9:00 PM and 9:30 PM, when a group of individuals arrived at the victim's private parking area in his home in Guanarteme, driving a van. They approached their target without raising suspicion by pretending to be police officers. After intercepting the man, they forcibly subdued him and put him inside the vehicle.
Inside the warehouse, the kidnappers threatened and beat the victim to force him into making a cryptocurrency transfer. This method is increasingly employed by criminal organizations as it allows them to move funds and generate profits without leaving a traceable record. The final amount the victim had to pay to escape his captivity is currently unknown. Additionally, the criminals stole all the cash he was carrying and various valuable objects.
The victim remained deprived of his liberty for some time longer until his captors decided to abandon him at the location. Before leaving, however, they returned to the warehouse one more time to warn him of the consequences he could suffer if he reported the incident to the authorities. The investigation initiated by the UDEV ultimately led to the identification and judicial processing of the alleged involved parties.
This incident occurred during a month marked by significant upheaval on the island, with two other abductions taking place. The most high-profile involved the detention of a woman and her 19-year-old son, who were forcibly removed from a luxury villa in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, allegedly as part of a score-settling related to drug trafficking. Days later, officers began investigating a second abduction in the Siete Palmas neighborhood after a witness reported seeing a man being forced into a white van. Investigation sources have denied any connection between these incidents.
