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 Pérez Asencio used Banco Santander to open several accounts since 2019.Hector Barros froze 140 accounts and seized $300K, prosecuting 18 suspects to cripple gang assets.Juan Carlos Pérez Asencio, a Venezuelan national who served as Banco Santander’s recovery executive since 2019, played an important role in providing the group’s tools to effectively carry out its operation.
Local reports indicated that Pérez 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.
Héctor Barros, the prosecutor in charge of the case, stated that the group had laundered over $88 million, declaring this was “one of the largest money laundering cases we have seen in our country, linked to the Tren de Aragua.” “I would say this is the first time we have hit them where it hurts the most: their assets,” he added.
