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T3 Financial Crime Unit Says It Has Frozen More Than $450 Million in Illicit Crypto Assets

The Tether, TRON DAO and TRM Labs initiative said blocked illicit USDT has surpassed $450 million since its 2024 launch, with another report describing more than 70 billion yen in illicit assets frozen since September 2024.

USDT
TRX

Fact Check
All specific figures in the claim are directly confirmed by the official Tether press release at tether.io (the primary originating source), published May 14, 2026: frozen assets exceeding $450 million, a 43.9% year-over-year rise in 2025 interceptions, and operations spanning 23 jurisdictions. The Block independently corroborates every key data point. A third outlet, Crypto Briefing, also reported the same figures on the same date. There are no conflicting sources. The minor residual uncertainty (0.03) reflects the self-reported nature of the $450 million figure, which originates from the T3 FCU's own announcement rather than an independent audit.
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Summary

The T3 Financial Crime Unit, backed by Tether, TRON DAO and TRM Labs, said it has blocked more than $450 million in illicit USDT since launching in 2024. Earlier updates described the total more broadly as more than $450 million in illicit crypto assets by May 2026, while a separate report framed the enforcement activity as more than 70 billion yen in illicit assets frozen since September 2024. T3 also said intercepted illegal funds in 2025 rose 43.9% year over year across 23 jurisdictions and cited Brazil’s Operation Lusocoin, where it said the effort helped freeze more than 3 billion Brazilian reais, including 4.3 million USDT.

Terms & Concepts
  • USDT: Tether’s U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, widely used for trading and transfers across crypto markets.
  • Blockchain intelligence: The analysis of on-chain transaction data to identify wallet activity, trace fund flows and support compliance or investigations.
  • Frozen crypto assets: Digital assets that have been restricted from being transferred or redeemed, usually as part of compliance actions or financial crime enforcement.