TechFlow reports on January 2, according to CoinDesk, that the T3 Financial Crimes Unit (T3 FCU), jointly established by Tether, TRON, and TRM Labs, has frozen a total of 100 million USDT associated with illicit actors since its launch in September 2024.
T3 involves TRM Labs deploying its blockchain intelligence and monitoring tools to assist Tron and Tether in identifying and freezing USDT linked to illegal activities. The amount of USDT issued on the Tron blockchain approaches $60 billion, making it the second-largest issuance after Ethereum, which exceeds $75 billion.
Chris Janczewski, Global Head of Investigations at TRM Labs, stated that money laundering services represent the largest source of frozen funds; investment scams, illicit drugs, terrorist financing, ransom fraud, hacking, exploits, and even violent crimes have also been targeted. Up to $3 million of the frozen USDT is linked to North Korea, which has actively attempted to infiltrate cryptocurrency projects to raise funds for its ruling regime. In December, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the shutdown of North Korea's money laundering network.
