The most expensive ransoms ever paid -

Here's a list of incidents where millions were paid to the perpetrators in exchange for the release of hostages.

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Maran Centaurus - In 2009, an oil tanker called Maran Centaurus was held up by Somali pirates.

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Maran Centaurus - The crew were held hostage for US$7 million, which was paid two months later.

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Anthony Da Cruz - Da Cruz was an executive with Kodak who worked in Argentina. He was kidnapped by the People’s Revolutionary Army in 1973.

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Anthony Da Cruz - Apparently, Da Cruz was treated respectfully while in captivity. He was released after Kodak paid up the US$1.5 million ransom (around about $9 million today).

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Virginia Piper -

The wife of investment banker Harry C. Piper, Virginia Piper was abducted by vigilantes at her home in Minnesota in 1972.

After the ransom of US$1 million (more than $6 million today) was paid, she was found chained to a tree.

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Samho Dream - The Samho Dream was a supertanker that was hijacked back in 2010. Somali pirates held the crew ransom, requesting US$9 million.

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Samho Dream - The ship was held for a whopping 217 days before the payment was made.

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Samuel Bronfman II - The 21-year-old son of Edgar Bronfman Sr. (right), the former CEO of Seagram drinks, was kidnapped in 1975 in New York and ransomed at US$2.3 million.

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Samuel Bronfman II - Samuel Bronfman II (left) was held for over a week before he was freed, with the ransom worth around $11 million today.

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Francis Brimicombe - Francis Brimicombe worked with the British American Tobacco company, which is behind products like Pall Mall. He was also kidnapped in 1973 by the People's Revolutionary Army.

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Francis Brimicombe - The Army asked for US$1.7 million, which was duly paid. The amount is valued at around $10 million today.

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John R. Thompson -

Thompson was the president of Firestone in 1973 when he too was kidnapped by the People's Revolutionary Army in Argentina. 

The guerilla group asked for about US$3 million, which can be equaled to $18 million today. He was freed around two and a half weeks later.

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John Paul Getty III - A huge story at the time, John Paul Getty III was the grandson of Jean Paul Getty, a wealthy oil tycoon. He was kidnapped by Italian gangsters in 1973 in Rome.

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John Paul Getty III - The abductors asked for US$3 million, which can be valued at around $18 million today. They cut off one of Getty's ears when the original ransom wasn't met.

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Patty Hearst - In one of the most infamous ransom stories ever, sophomore student Patty Hearst (center) was kidnapped back in 1974. The ransom was unusual, around US$70 worth of food for every hungry person in California.

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Patty Hearst -

Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, a militant group that also orchestrated bank robberies. Hearst's father, Randolph Hearst (son of William Randolph Hearst Sr.), ended up giving out more than US$2 million worth of food (over $10 million's worth today).

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Enrique Metz -

Enrique Metz was an executive for Mercedes Benz which was based in Argentina. Metz was kidnapped by the guerrilla group Montoneros in 1975. 

Montoneros ransomed Metz for US$5 million, which is worth around $24 million today.

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Charles Lockwood -

Lockwood was a consultant on green business strategies, who was kidnapped by Argentina's People's Revolutionary Army twice! The first was in 1973, with a ransom of US$2 million (nearly $12 million today).

The second time was in 1975, with a ransom of US$10 million (more than $48 million today).

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Walter Kwok - Walter Kwok was the son of Kwok Tak Seng, one of the richest billionaires in Hong Kong. In 1997, he was kidnapped by Cheung Tze-keung, an infamous Chinese gangster.

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Walter Kwok -

The ransom was set at around US$77 million, which was paid. Kwok was then found alive in a wooden box in a village house. It's said that Kwok had a rivalry with his brothers, who didn't want to pay the ransom, which is around $122 million by today's standards.

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Victor Samuelson - Victor Samuelson was a rescue refinery manager who worked for Esso Argentina (under Exxon).

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Victor Samuelson - Samuelson was kidnapped by the People's Revolutionary Army in 1974, with a ransom set at US$14.2 million. He was held for 98 days before Esso Argentina paid the price, which is around $77 million by today's standards.

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Victor Li -

The same gangster behind Walter Kwok's kidnapping also reportedly abducted Victor Li in 1996. Victor Li is the son of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing (pictured).

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Victor Li - Victor Li was ransomed at US$134 million, which is around $219 million today. The infamous gangster, nicknamed "Big Spender," was later arrested, and executed in 2000.

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Jorge and Juan Born -

Jorge and Juan Born were stockholders in Bunge & Born, one of the biggest businesses in Buenos Aires. They were both kidnapped in 1974, with a steep ransom set at US$60 million.

The pair were abducted by Montoneros but were freed nine months later after the ransom was paid. Today, the ransom is estimated to be worth $326 million.

See also: The world's most expensive foods

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