ZachXBT says he spent $349,700 to infiltrate Chinese launderers tied to Lazarus, Bybit hack

The notable point is method, not the sum: paying upfront to pose as a client turns an on-chain investigation into a human-intelligence operation, producing evidence that exchanges and authorities could act on. It also shows how laundering networks serving state-linked actors are entangled with Chinese-language intermediaries, making attribution and freezing a cross-border coordination problem. Whether the frozen funds stay frozen, and whether this kind of paid infiltration becomes repeatable, is the open question.