T3 Unit Freezes $450M in Illicit Crypto Since 2024
Tether, Tron and TRM Labs’ T3 Financial Crime Unit has frozen more than $450 million in illicit cryptocurrency worldwide since launching in September 2024.
The T3 Financial Crime Unit, a joint operation run by Tether, Tron and analytics firm TRM Labs, reported it has frozen more than $450 million in illicit cryptocurrency assets since launching in September 2024. The unit said it worked with law enforcement partners in 23 jurisdictions, including the United States, Brazil, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Bulgaria.
T3 traces transactions across blockchains and works with prosecutors and police to obtain freezes. The team stated it can secure assets within 24 hours and has supported probes that led to significant seizures, including a Brazilian Federal Police investigation that froze more than 3 billion reais in crypto.
Cases handled this year covered drug trafficking, exchange hacks, terrorist financing, North Korea-linked thefts, kidnappings, home invasions and extortion.
TRM Labs data cited by the unit show illicit crypto flows reached $158 billion last year. The T3 unit noted it intercepted nearly 44% more illicit proceeds in 2025 than it did the prior year.
The unit was identified earlier this year by the Financial Action Task Force as an “invaluable resource for law enforcement agencies worldwide” in reporting on public-private partnership models.
Security firm CertiK reported that North Korean-linked groups have stolen about $6.75 billion in cryptocurrency across incidents since 2016 and caused roughly $2.06 billion in losses in 2025, accounting for about 60% of identified theft losses that year. T3 reported it has supported investigations involving such state-linked activity.
Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s chief executive, said: “Compliance is not an option; it is a part of our commitment to protect our users and stop any illicit behaviors. At Tether, we take pride in working with regulators and institutions to make blockchain technology more reliable and trustworthy.”
The unit plans to expand cooperation with international authorities and continue using analytics to target proceeds tied to illicit activity.
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