Europol announces the arrest of six individuals accused of organizing a kidnapping plot in Europe
Brussels, November 13, 2025 — Europol announced that a coordinated operation by Germany, with the participation of Denmark, France, Latvia, and the United Kingdom, led to the arrest of six individuals involved in a plot to kidnap a leader of an Albanian drug trafficking network.
According to the agency, the group was mainly composed of Latvian citizens, some with experience in the French Foreign Legion. The suspects were allegedly hired by a rival criminal organization to kidnap the leader of the Albanian network, who investigators claim was involved in the theft of several tons of cannabis.
Four individuals were detained on the day of the operation in Denmark, France, Latvia, and the United Kingdom, while two others had already been arrested in Germany and previously convicted. Europol provided analytical support, information exchange, and operational coordination, including sending an expert to Nice for real-time checks.
The agency specified that the operation is related to the phenomenon of "violence-as-a-service," in which individuals with military training are paid to commit violent acts on behalf of criminal groups. Europol warns that this model is on the rise, including through the return of fighters from the front in Ukraine.
Participants in the action included the Copenhagen police, Landeskriminalamt North Rhine-Westphalia, Police Nationale and OCLO from France, the Latvian Police, and the Metropolitan Police from the United Kingdom.
