I built a crypto invoice system that was originally targeted towards our freelance dev clients, which was soon overrun with drug sellers, weapons sellers, and when it reached a point where some of the invoice descriptions included words like "8yo.mp4" we realized it was time to put it down. We reported the IPs of the people involved and shut down the servers. Luckily I live in a third world country and not somewhere I could get in trouble for.
I don't think most crypto is built to obfuscate. It's built to bypass centrally controlled monetary system. With the exception of some specialty crypto created to obfuscate, it's really not nearly as good at hiding transactions as say, cash.
Technically it might not obvuscate, but practically it does.
Critically (compared to cash) it allows remote transactions. Cash requires presence which limits the customer base geographically, and carries enormous personal risk. (you're already transacting with a criminal, do you want to be alone with him as well?)
The killer app for crypto is illegal activities. (which may in some cases be moral, but nevertheless are illegal.)
As a side note, the volatility in the crypto value, caused mostly my legal speculators being exploited by scammers, hurts the utility of crypto in all contexts, including illegal ones.
I think it was fortunate, in a sense that these agencies’ employees usually couldn’t care less about your own fate or expenses in all this mess. You’re just a little bug in their gears which rotate regardless. Unless you can gain substantial publicity, it’s not worth the risk.
It shouldn't be that way though. That honeypot could've been really useful to them, and the cost of providing peace of mind to him is negligible to their orgs.
