T3 unit freezes $450M in illicit crypto across 23 jurisdictions

The T3 Financial Crime Unit, a joint operation by stablecoin issuer Tether, blockchain network TRON and blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, has frozen more than $450 million in illicit cryptocurrency since launching in September 2024. The unit reported interceptions in 23 jurisdictions and a 43.9% increase in proceeds frozen in 2025 compared with 2024.

T3 said it analyzed millions of transactions across five continents to trace exchange hacks, exploits, transfers linked to North Korea, terrorist financing, money laundering and violent crime. The unit reported expanded cooperation with law enforcement in the United States, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Bulgaria.

Enforcement actions cited by the unit include a Spanish operation that recovered about $26.4 million tied to a Madrid-based money-laundering ring. In Brazil, T3 supported Operation Lusocoin with the Federal Police, which froze more than R$3 billion in crypto assets and seized 4.3 million USDT linked to a criminal network.

T3 highlighted its response speed, saying it has frozen funds within 24 hours in account takeover cases and violent-crime emergencies. The unit said it can lock targeted wallets within hours after receiving a verified law enforcement request. It identified work on so-called “wrench attacks,” meaning home invasions, kidnappings and violent extortion against cryptocurrency holders.

The Financial Action Task Force cited T3, together with TRM Labs’ Beacon Network, as a leading public-private model for digital asset enforcement. TRM Labs estimates annual illicit crypto flows at $158 billion.

In a statement, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino described the $450 million milestone as “just the beginning of what T3 is capable of, as its impact will only continue to grow in scale and importance.”

T3 said it will continue to expand operations across jurisdictions to speed investigations and assist police in recovering criminal proceeds held on-chain.