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Police Video Shows Teens Jailed After $4.3 Million Crypto ‘Wrench Attack’ Foiled Within Hours

Police are using the case to highlight rising ‘wrench attacks’ against crypto holders plus rapid asset tracing by specialist units.

Overview

  • Newly released footage shows the trio posing as delivery drivers before a knifepoint robbery inside a Hoxton flat.
  • The teenagers had traveled from Sheffield on June 17, 2024, coerced a transfer of about $4.3 million (£3.1m), then fled in the victim’s BMW X3.
  • An ANPR alert on the M1 less than three hours later led officers to stop the car on the M6 in Warwickshire, resulting in arrests.
  • Snapchat videos of the getaway helped investigators identify the suspects and link them to the burglary, according to police.
  • The cryptocurrency was recovered within 72 hours and later returned, and Sheffield Crown Court handed youth detention terms of 67 months to Faris Hassan, 46 months to Mikyle Bethune, and 80 months to a 17-year-old, totaling 16 years.