The T3 Financial Crime Unit, a dedicated crypto task force, reported freezing $300 million in illicit funds in its inaugural year, garnering commendations from global law enforcement and demonstrating the self-regulatory capabilities of the stablecoin sector.
Established in late 2024 by stablecoin issuer Tether, the Tron blockchain, and TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence platform, to enhance oversight of stablecoin transactions on Tron, the unit has transformed into a global enforcement framework for blockchain security, signaling a new approach in the crypto industry towards compliance and accountability.
The unit tracks transactions and coordinates significant asset seizures, including funds from “pig butchering” scams and organized crime groups across Europe. Its investigations now extend across five continents, receiving recent accolades from Brazil’s Federal Police for its involvement in Operation Lusocoin, a significant money-laundering crackdown, highlighting how collaboration between public and private entities is evolving the fight against financial crime in crypto.
“Tether is strongly committed to ensuring the integrity of the financial ecosystem by working with over 280 law enforcement agencies worldwide,” stated Paolo Ardoino, CEO of the USDT issuer, in a recent release.
The $300 million milestone comes on the heels of various substantial enforcement successes since the unit’s inception in September 2024.
By January 2025, T3 had frozen $100 million in unauthorized USDT, including $3 million related to North Korean networks, and by August, the total exceeded $250 million, coinciding with the launch of its T3+ Global Collaborator Program.
This initiative, which fosters real-time collaboration between exchanges and industry stakeholders with law enforcement, began with Binance and has so far resulted in the freezing of $6 million associated with a pig-butchering scam.
