The Metropolitan Police of Gwangju, in South Korea, arrested four Uzbek nationals accused of financing terrorism through cryptocurrencies, in a case authorities describe as the first of its kind in the country.
The alleged ringleader transferred 4,267 USDT in seven transactions carried out between August 2024 and April 2025 to the group Katibat Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), a Syria-based organization designated as a terrorist group by both the United Nations and the United States.
What sets this case apart from other precedents is the reverse flow of funds: the same individual allegedly received cryptocurrencies from KTJ and used them to acquire and export 11 used cars and two excavators valued together at $121,000, which were sent to Syria. The other three detainees allegedly assisted in the purchase and export of the vehicles.
The security investigation division of South Korea’s police agency carried out the arrests in April under the Act on Prohibition of Financing for Terrorism. One of the four accused appeared on an Interpol red notice.
The ringleader, who entered South Korea in 2017 on a student visa, denied the main charges at his first hearing in June, claiming that the funds were used for family expenses and that he was unaware of the final destination of the vehicles.
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