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Dramatic moment Spanish cops swoop on Brit kidnappers in cryptocurrency sting

Spanish police released footage showing the moment they surrounded a vehicle as the trio tried to flee - but moments later they were cuffed on the ground at gunpoint

Spain: Police arrest Brits for Costa del Sol crypto kidnap

Three British men have been arrested following the Costa del Sol kidnap of a UK cryptocurrency broker.

Spanish police released footage today showing the moment they surrounded an Audi the trio tried to flee in after their British victim managed to escape before cuffing them on the ground at gunpoint. The men took the trader hostage and demanded 30,000 Euros (£25,000) for his release after a chance meeting in Marbella led to him accepting an invite to an apartment in the nearby resort of Estepona the kidnappers is thought to have been living at temporarily.

The 34-year-old Hindi speaker got away by pretending to phone a customer he said had to give him half the code he needed to access his crypto wallet - but instead called a friend in London and told him he was being held against his will in the language his captors didn’t understand. His pal alerted the victim’s mum who told police what was happening - sparking an operation to locate the property where he was being held which they only knew initially was in the Estepona area.

The three British men were arrested following the kidnap of a cryptocurrency broker
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Heavily-armed officers had already managed to track down the apartment and were preparing to call in specialist reinforcements when the kidnapped man took advantage of a momentary lapse in concentration by his abductors to escape. One was looking at his mobile when he ran and jumped more than 30 feet from a balcony, breaking his ankles in the process.

The footage police released showed them moving in as the kidnappers tried to speed off in their Audi when they released their attempts to earn quick money had been frustrated. Officers found more than POUNDS 8,000 in euros during a search of the apartment as well as two guns, three knives and 25 grams of pink cocaine.

The three Brits, who have not been named, have all been remanded to prison following a court appearance.

Going public with the operation to resolve the Costa kidnap, in an operation codenamed Operation Espino which lasted just seven hours from the moment the victim’s mum alerted them around midday last

On Saturday, a spokesman for the National Police in Malaga said: “Three men have arrested on suspicion of kidnap, wounding, membership of a criminal organisation, unlawful weapons possession and drugs trafficking. They are now in prison following a court appearance.

Footage of the arrest shows the moment the trio was arrested
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“The investigation began when officers were informed about the kidnap on February 1. Detectives managed to locate the residential estate where they believed the victim was being held.

“During the police operation established to locate the apartment, officers saw several nervous-looking men going to and fro between the inside of the property and an outside terrace. Moments later they witnessed another man who turned out to be the kidnap victim jumping from the terrace to the ground.

“He was taken to hospital so he could be treated for the injuries he suffered in the fall. The three suspects were arrested as they tried to get away in a high-powered vehicle.

“Two firearms hidden in kitchen cupboards, almost EUROS 10,000, a money counting machine, three knives including one butterfly knife, two designer watches and 25 grams of pink cocaine as well as a weighing scale were found during a search of the apartment.” Police sources confirmed all four men were British.

The kidnap trio had tied their victim up and threatened to kill him during his ordeal unless he accessed his clients’ crypto wallets so he could pay them to regain his freedom.

The kidnappers tied their victim up so he could pay them to regain his freedom
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They had got talking during a chance meeting at a Marbella hotel a fortnight earlier - and ended up having a meal together the day of the kidnap before the victim accepted an invite to drinks afterwards at the property in Estepona where he ended up being held hostage. Police suspect they planned their crime after the Brit trader told them what he did for a living and they realised he was earning well and had access to large amounts of cryptocurrency.

Only one of the detainees was known to police in Spain but all three are believed to have criminal records in the UK for weapons possession and drugs offences. Their victim was assaulted during his ordeal but didn’t suffer the torture they pledged they would inflict on him if he didn’t pay them the amount they were demanding.

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