When someone tries to hide where their crypto came from by moving it across different blockchains, they’re doing cross-chain crypto laundering, a method of obscuring the origin of cryptocurrency funds by routing them through multiple blockchain networks. Also known as chain-hopping, it’s one of the most common ways bad actors try to dodge tracking by law enforcement and exchanges. This isn’t just theory—it’s a real problem. In 2023, Chainalysis reported that over $1.5 billion in crypto tied to crime was moved across chains in a single year, mostly using mixers, bridges, and decentralized swaps to break the trail.
This tactic relies on blockchain anonymity, the illusion that crypto transactions are completely private, even though most ledgers are public. But anonymity doesn’t mean untraceable. Tools like blockchain analytics firms (like Chainalysis and Elliptic) can follow coins even after they jump from Ethereum to Solana to Polygon. What looks like a clean transfer on one chain often leaves footprints on another. And when those footprints connect to known wallets linked to hacks, ransomware, or darknet markets, regulators step in—fast.
It’s not just about hiding money. crypto sanctions evasion, the act of using crypto to bypass government restrictions on countries or entities is a major driver of cross-chain laundering. North Korea’s Lazarus Group, for example, has repeatedly used cross-chain bridges to turn stolen Ethereum into Monero or Tether on BSC, then cash out through unregulated exchanges. That’s why the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC now lists over 300 crypto addresses tied to laundering schemes. If you’re using a bridge or DEX to move funds from a sanctioned wallet—even unknowingly—you could be breaking the law.
And here’s the catch: most users who try this don’t realize how easily it can backfire. Exchanges like Binance and Coinbase now flag transactions that pass through mixers or high-risk bridges. Your funds could get frozen. Your account could get banned. And if you’re in the U.S., you could face fines under FBAR rules or even criminal charges for willful evasion. There’s no legal gray area here—cross-chain laundering is treated as money laundering under federal law.
What you’ll find in the posts below aren’t guides on how to do it. They’re warnings. You’ll read about exchanges like MaskEX and Negocie Coins that promised privacy but vanished with users’ cash. You’ll see how sanctions on Syria and Russia reshaped crypto flows—and how people got caught trying to bypass them. You’ll learn why even small, anonymous swaps can trigger compliance flags. And you’ll see how the same tools meant to make crypto more open are being used to make crime harder to track.
DPRK hackers now use cross-chain crypto laundering to steal billions, evade detection, and fund nuclear weapons. Learn how they move funds between blockchains and why this is a global security threat.