Indonesian authorities have used crypto data to prosecute criminals
Onchain evidence was key to the conviction of three individuals suspected of financing terrorism in Indonesia in 2024 and 2025, marking a clear shift in the way courts value onchain evidence.
“Indonesian courts have shown that cryptocurrency evidence – wallet addresses, transaction history, flows on the chain – is not only admissible, but can be used to prosecute terrorism financing,” TRM said in a statement on Sunday.
TRM said that terrorist financing networks are slow to treat them with the same scrutiny as traditional fiat channels as authorities and regulators as the method of choice for moving cryptocurrency money, but this is now changing.
Indonesian authorities said a suspect sent more than $49,000 USDt (USDT) from a local exchange to a foreign platform in 15 transactions, and the money was later transferred to an ISIS-linked terrorist fund-raising campaign in Syria, according to a blockchain company.
Indonesia's Financial Intelligence Unit and counter-terrorism police unit Dens 88 conducted the analysis and presented the findings to Indonesian courts, which accepted blockchain data as key evidence in each of the three cases.
Indonesia is not the only country in Southeast Asia using blockchain analytics to catch criminals, TRM said.
“Similar patterns are emerging in Southeast Asia, where governments are investing in blockchain data capabilities and fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors to address illicit financial threats.”
TRM Labs said Singapore and Malaysia's financial intelligence units and law enforcement agencies are also developing technical capabilities to monitor cryptocurrency flows.
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On April 1, Cambodian and Chinese authorities arrested Li Xiong, head of the Huione Group, an organization that operated fraud centers in Cambodia to steal “pig farming” scams and other investment schemes from victims around the world.
Xiong has been extradited to China where he may face charges of fraud and money laundering.
His extradition comes three months after the arrest of Chen Zi, head of the Prince Group, which operates the Hyune Group.
TRM reported in February that illegal entities have acquired an estimated $141 billion worth of stablecoins by 2025, a five-year high.
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