T3 Financial Crime Unit, a crypto task force, said it froze $300 million in corrupt funds in its first year of operation, earning praise from international law enforcement and showing that the stablecoin industry is capable of policing itself.
Created in late 2024 by stablecoin issuer Tether, the Tron blockchain and TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence platform, to clean up stablecoin activity on Tron, the unit has evolved into a global model for enforcing blockchain security and signals a shift in how the crypto industry manages compliance and accountability.
The unit monitors transactions and coordinates high-profile seizures, including proceeds from “pig butchering” scams and organized crime networks in Europe. Its investigations now span five continents, with recent recognition from the Brazilian Federal Police for its role in Operation Lusocoin, a major money laundering operation, highlighting how public-private collaboration is reshaping financial crime prevention in crypto.
“Tether is deeply committed to maintaining the integrity of the financial ecosystem by collaborating with more than 280 law enforcement agencies around the world,” Paolo Ardoino, CEO of issuer USDT, said in a statement.
The $300 million milestone follows a series of major law enforcement achievements since the unit launched in September 2024.
By January 2025, T3 had frozen $100 million in illicit USDT, including $3 million linked to North Korean networks, and in August it crossed the $250 million mark by launching its T3+ global collaboration program.
This initiative, which brings together exchanges and industry players in real-time coordination with law enforcement, began with Binance and has already led to the freezing of $6 million linked to a pig butchery scam.
