Chile Busts $88 Million Crypto Money Laundering Ring Linked to Tren de Aragua on Tuesday

According to Bitcoin.com News and prosecutor Héctor Barros, Chilean authorities arrested 18 individuals on Tuesday after a two-year investigation uncovered an $88 million cryptocurrency money laundering network connected to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. The operation, conducted across three regions by Chilean police and the Southern Prosecutor's Office, revealed that Juan Carlos Pérez Asencio, a Venezuelan national employed as a recovery executive at Banco Santander since 2019, facilitated large transactions for the group by opening multiple bank accounts. Funds from drug trafficking, extortion, and kidnappings were processed through cryptocurrency companies and transferred abroad.

During the operation, authorities froze over 140 bank accounts and seized $300K in assets. Barros stated this was "one of the largest money laundering cases we have seen in our country, linked to the Tren de Aragua," and added, "I would say this is the first time we have hit them where it hurts the most: their assets."