TL;DR:
- Tether froze over $344 million in USDT across two addresses on the Tron network, in coordination with OFAC and U.S. law enforcement agencies.
- The wallets were flagged for activity linked to sanctions evasion and criminal networks; one held $213 million and the other $131 million.
- Tether has frozen over $4.4 billion in assets since strengthening its cooperation with law enforcement in late 2023.
Tether executed the freezing of more than $344 million in USDT across two wallets on the Tron network, in what stands as the largest action of its kind in the company’s history. The move was taken in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and U.S. law enforcement agencies, after authorities shared information tied to illegal conduct.
Blockchain security firm PeckShield was the first to report the onchain freeze of both addresses —TNiq9…QZH81 and TTiDL…pjSr9— before Tether issued a formal statement. One of the wallets held approximately $213 million in USDT and the other around $131 million, both publicly visible on Tron block explorers prior to the freeze.
Tether Is Not a Safe Haven for Illicit Activity
Tether did not identify the underlying investigation or specify when the wallets were originally flagged. The company did state that the action responded to information related to sanctions evasion, criminal networks, or other illicit activities. Paolo Ardoino, CEO of the company, was categorical in the statement: “USDT is not a safe haven for illicit activities.” He added that the firm acts immediately when credible links to sanctioned entities or criminal actors are identified.
This is not the first large-scale action of its kind. In November 2023, Tether froze around $225 million in USDT linked to an investigation into human trafficking and “pig butchering” fraud in Southeast Asia. In January 2026, it repeated a similar operation involving approximately $182 million spread across five Tron wallets.
The company noted that it currently collaborates with more than 340 security agencies across 65 countries and has supported over 2,300 cases globally, of which more than 1,200 are linked to U.S. authorities. The total assets frozen since this cooperation framework began exceeds $4.4 billion, with more than $2.1 billion connected to U.S. investigations.
