Sniper paid $343K in bribes to front-run ZEST launch — walked away with $277K profit

A single wallet paid 536.88 BNB — roughly $343,000 — in bribe fees to guarantee first-mover position on the ZEST token launch, on top of a 600,000 USDT purchase of 18.3 million ZEST tokens. Total cost into the trade: approximately $943,000.

The sniper exited the full 18.3 million ZEST position for $1.22 million, booking a net profit of around $277,000. The bribe-to-profit ratio tells the real story: the attacker spent more than a dollar in fees for every dollar of gain, yet the trade was still worth executing — a sign of just how competitive launch-block sniping has become on BNB Chain.

For retail buyers entering ZEST in the same block window, the sniper's front-run position would have moved the price before their orders filled, effectively transferring value from organic buyers to the attacking wallet.