Crypto Founders Snatched in Buenos Aires—$43K Ransom Demand Sparks Industry Outrage

Argentina’s crypto scene just got darker. Two Russian entrepreneurs—deep in building blockchain solutions—were dragged from a Buenos Aires cafe at gunpoint. The ask? A laughably small $43,000 in USDT. (Even traditional kidnappers are hodling now.)

Local authorities claim the perpetrators posed as police—a grim reminder that crypto’s borderless nature cuts both ways. No extradition treaties? No problem for criminals who treat human lives like leveraged positions.

Meanwhile, crypto VCs on Twitter are already spinning this as ’proof of real-world adoption.’ Because nothing says ’mass adoption’ like getting kidnapped over what amounts to a mediocre DeFi yield.

Latest Crypto Kidnapping in Argentina

Local media coverage provides several key details about this incident. For example, all five of the story’s main actors are Russian citizens: the victims, kidnappers, and the outside friend who paid the crypto ransom.

The two unnamed victims lived in Palermo, a long-standing hub of Argentina’s crypto community. Still, a lot of information remains under wraps.

These Russian crypto entrepreneurs were led to their kidnapping by a dinner invitation, but it’s not clear if they had any previous relationship with their assailants.

In any event, the attackers tied them up shortly afterward, demanding a $43,000 ransom. Apparently, their friend paid this quickly in a single transaction.

Local reports don’t mention any serious physical harm, and the couple was rescued within 24 hours. The woman managed to call for help from the apartment’s balcony, leading the police to discover that the kidnappers had long since fled.

These men quickly made it to the nearest airport and flew to the UAE.

Now that Interpol is looking for these Russian kidnappers, their arrest will hopefully follow. In an interesting twist, Judge María Romilda Servini was appointed to supervise the criminal case.

Judge Servini has appeared in several crypto-related prosecutions, ordering scrutiny of President Milei and consulting on Hayden Davis’ arrest warrant.

Crypto kidnappings are on the rise worldwide as a disturbing trend develops. An Italian millionaire was tortured in the US, and a crime ring orchestrated several violent attacks in France.

These Russian kidnappers only asked for a comparatively small crypto ransom, but they got their money. If the authorities don’t arrest them soon, this success could inspire even more copycats.