The T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), a collaboration between Tether, TRON, and TRM Labs, has frozen over $450 million in illicit crypto assets.
The T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), a joint initiative by @trondao, @tether, and @trmlabs, announced that it has frozen over USD 450 million in illicit assets globally, strengthening regulatory collaboration to target cryptocurrency-related financial crimes.
— T3 Financial Crime Unit (@T3_FCU) May 14, 2026
The initiative has… https://t.co/Q3wwbPE8oe
Established in September 2024, the alliance collaborates with regulators across 23 jurisdictions.
In 2025, the volume of intercepted funds increased by 43.9%. Investigations involved law enforcement agencies from the U.S., Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria.
T3 FCU aids in identifying funds linked to exchange thefts, cyberattacks from North Korea, terrorism financing, and kidnappings. Through emergency requests, the alliance blocks suspicious accounts within 24 hours.
One of the largest cases was the Brazilian operation Lusocoin, where authorities froze assets totaling over 3 billion reais, including 4.3 million USDT.
Earlier this year, the FATF described T3 FCU as "an invaluable resource for law enforcement" and highlighted it alongside the TRM Beacon Network as a leading model in combating crime in the digital asset space. According to the organization, the volume of illicit crypto flows reached a record $158 billion.
“Compliance is not an option; it’s part of our commitment to protect users. $450 million is just the beginning,” said Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.
TRON founder Justin Sun added that USDT on the TRON network plays a crucial role in global transfers, and collaboration with law enforcement enhances security without sacrificing blockchain transparency.
Chris Yanchiewski, head of global investigations at TRM Labs, emphasized that success relies on real-time intelligence and coordinated actions between government and business.
As a reminder, in February, Tether reported freezing assets linked to illegal activities totaling approximately $4.2 billion.