{"id":73615,"date":"2026-06-05T19:43:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/chile-busts-88-million-crypto-laundering-ring-tied-to-the-sanctioned-tren-de-aragua-cartel\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T19:43:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:43:44","slug":"chile-busts-88-million-crypto-laundering-ring-tied-to-the-sanctioned-tren-de-aragua-cartel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/chile-busts-88-million-crypto-laundering-ring-tied-to-the-sanctioned-tren-de-aragua-cartel\/","title":{"rendered":"Chile Busts $88 Million Crypto Laundering Ring Tied to the Sanctioned Tren de Aragua Cartel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"@container mb-[25px] rounded-sm overflow-clip py-0.5 pr-0.5 pl-2.5 bg-success-100\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-m overflow-clip rounded-[6px] !bg-success-10 p-3 @[420px]:p-m\">\n<h2 class=\"m-0 flex items-center gap-s text-[19px] !text-[#1c1c1c] md:text-[20px]\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"10\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 10\" fill=\"none\" class=\"shrink-0 text-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M1 1.5h14\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M1 8.5h10\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span>Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"m-0 flex list-none flex-col gap-m pl-0\">\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Chile arrested 18 individuals over an $88M crypto laundering network linked directly to the Tren de Aragua gang.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Shaking banking safety, Juan Carlos P\u00e9rez Asencio used Banco Santander to open several accounts since 2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Hector Barros froze 140 accounts and seized $300K, prosecuting 18 suspects to cripple gang assets.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Chile Shuts Down $88 Million <span>Crypto<\/span> Money Laundering Group Linked To Tren de Aragua<\/h2>\n<p>A two-year investigation has resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals who operated a scheme that included <span>crypto<\/span> assets to launder the proceeds of illicit activities or the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang in Chile.<\/p>\n<p>The operation, executed on Tuesday by the Chilean police and the Southern Prosecutor\u2019s Office, was carried out in three regions of the country and uncovered a complex network of bank accounts, irregular companies, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cryptocurrency<\/a> remittances.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Juan Carlos P\u00e9rez Asencio, a Venezuelan national who served as Banco Santander\u2019s recovery executive since 2019, played an important role in providing the group\u2019s tools to effectively carry out its operation.<\/p>\n<p>Local reports indicated that P\u00e9rez Asencio opened several bank accounts for the group, which allowed it to execute large transactions whose funds came from drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, and kidnappings.<\/p>\n<p>H\u00e9ctor Barros, the prosecutor in charge of the case, stated that the group had laundered over $88 million, declaring this was <strong>\u201cone of the largest money laundering cases we have seen in our country, linked to the Tren de Aragua.\u201d<\/strong> <strong>\u201cI would say this is the first time we have hit them where it hurts the most: their assets,<\/strong>\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Barros <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emol.com\/noticias\/Nacional\/2026\/06\/02\/1201654\/ejecutivo-bancario-detenido-tren-aragua.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">specified<\/a> that these funds <strong>\u201cleft our country via <span>cryptocurrency<\/span> companies, heading to other countries.\u201d<\/strong> During the action, over 140 bank accounts were frozen and $300K was seized from the group.<\/p>\n<p>The action follows another high-profile operation <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/chile-cracks-down-on-tren-de-araguas-crypto-money-laundering-scheme\/\">executed<\/a> in July, when Chilean authorities also disrupted a group called \u201cTren del Mar.\u201d At that time, 52 individuals were arrested for using bank accounts and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cryptocurrency<\/a> to launder an estimated $13.5 million and move these funds to Venezuela, Colombia, the U.S., Paraguay, Mexico, Spain, and Argentina.<\/p>\n<p>Tren de Aragua, an international criminal group with Venezuelan origins, was sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2024. The office stated that the group <strong>\u201cinfiltrated local criminal economies in South America, established transnational financial operations, laundered funds through <span>cryptocurrency<\/span>, and formed ties with the U.S.-sanctioned Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC).\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/chile-busts-88-million-crypto-laundering-ring-tied-to-the-sanctioned-tren-de-aragua-cartel\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways Chile arrested 18 individuals over an $88M crypto laundering network linked directly to the Tren de Aragua gang. Shaking banking safety, Juan Carlos P\u00e9rez Asencio used Banco Santander to open several accounts since 2019. Hector Barros froze 140 accounts and seized $300K, prosecuting 18 suspects to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":73616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73615"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}