OFAC Sanctions Tren de Aragua for Crypto-Laundered ATM Heist Funds

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned 10 individuals and entities tied to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuela-based criminal organization. The group, designated as a foreign terrorist group by the State Department in February 2025, was found to have laundered $40.73 million in funds from ATM jackpotting attacks through cryptocurrency transactions.

The OFAC sanctions list includes Tron (TRX) wallet addresses for seven of the designated individuals and two Mexican front companies used for crypto money laundering. The Treasury said that Tren de Aragua's operations expanded beyond Venezuela to other parts of the Western Hemisphere, involving drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.

According to the Treasury, Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre, also known as 'Prometheus,' engineered the jackpotting malware used in the scheme. The network targeted U.S.-based ATMs, forcing them to dispense cash without debiting an account. OFAC said reported losses from alleged ATM jackpotting attacks across the United States totaled $40.73 million across more than 1,500 attacks as of August 2025.