Tether Blocked $182 Million in USDT on Five Wallets. What Happened

RBK-cryptoPublished on 2026-01-12Last updated on 2026-01-12

Abstract

Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, has frozen approximately $182 million across five wallets on the Tron blockchain. The action, which took place on January 11th, was executed in response to an official request from law enforcement agencies as part of an ongoing, months-long investigation. This is one of the largest single freezes on the Tron network in recent months, a popular blockchain for USDT transfers. The company emphasized its established practice of cooperating with law enforcement by freezing addresses linked to illegal activities or sanctions violations. Tether reports it has now frozen over $3 billion in USDT in collaboration with 310 agencies across 62 countries, voluntarily freezing a total of 3,440 wallets. This includes cooperation with U.S. authorities on 2,007 cases and blocking 470 addresses to assist law enforcement in Israel and Ukraine. The article also references a previous freeze of 2.5 billion rubles in USDT from the Russian crypto exchange Garantex in March 2025.

Tether has frozen approximately $182 million in its issued stablecoin USDT. The freeze, conducted on January 11, affected five addresses on the Tron blockchain, which held between $12 million and $50 million, according to Whale Alert.

"Tether froze the assets in connection with an ongoing investigation following an official request from law enforcement agencies," a Tether representative told The Block. He clarified that the investigation has been ongoing for several months. No further details were disclosed by the company.

The freeze of over $180 million is one of the largest single freezes of funds in the Tron network that has become known in recent months, the publication notes. Tron is one of the most popular blockchains for transferring funds in USDT. According to the issuer's data as of January 12, the total market capitalization of USDT is $186 billion, of which $82.5 billion is issued on the Tron network.

Tether emphasized that the company "has a long-standing practice of supporting legitimate investigations by freezing addresses associated with illegal activity or sanctions violations, in response to valid requests." Back in late 2023, Tether decided to block tokens on crypto addresses listed on the sanctions list of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

According to information on Tether's website, the company has blocked over $3 billion in USDT as part of cooperation with 310 agencies from 62 countries. In total, Tether has voluntarily frozen 3,440 wallets, of which 2,007 were cases of cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies. 470 addresses with 95 million USDT were blocked by Tether "to assist law enforcement agencies in Israel and Ukraine," the company highlights.

2.5 billion rubles in USDT tokens were frozen by Tether from the Russian crypto exchange Garantex in March 2025. The freeze was conducted as part of a special operation by the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement agencies from a number of European Union countries.

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Related Questions

QHow much USDT did Tether freeze on January 11th and on how many wallets?

ATether froze approximately $182 million in USDT across five wallets on the Tron blockchain on January 11th.

QWhat was the official reason given by Tether for freezing these assets?

ATether froze the assets in connection with an ongoing investigation following an official request from law enforcement agencies.

QWhat is the total market capitalization of USDT and how much of it is issued on the Tron network?

AThe total market capitalization of USDT is $186 billion, with $82.5 billion of it issued on the Tron network.

QHow many wallets has Tether frozen in total and how many were at the request of U.S. law enforcement?

ATether has voluntarily frozen a total of 3,440 wallets, with 2,007 of those cases being in cooperation with U.S. law enforcement.

QWhich sanctioned list did Tether agree to comply with at the end of 2023?

AAt the end of 2023, Tether decided to block tokens on crypto addresses from the sanctions list of the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

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