Policy Regulation

1 months agoNews Editor

Perak police raid illegal Bitcoin mining site in Seri Iskandar, arrest two men

Police in central Perak, working with Malaysia’s national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), raided an illegal cryptocurrency mining site in Seri Iskandar and arrested two local men, according to The Star, as cited by ChainCatcher. Investigators said the suspects were believed to have tapped electricity lines illegally to power Bitcoin mining machines. During the operation, authorities seized 30 Bitcoin mining rigs, along with a router, a desktop switch and a roll of electrical wire. The case is being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code and Section 37(1) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990. Police said power theft tied to crypto mining is not only unlawful, but can also inflict major losses on the electricity provider and create a fire hazard.

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Mexico

1 months agoNews Editor

Remote Mexico mining bust exposes power theft risks beyond on-chain transparency

Mexican authorities uncovered a suspected illegal cryptocurrency mining operation in the Sierra region of Puebla in early September 2026, seizing a site that housed about 300 machines, transformers, 80 medium-voltage connection points, and eight satellite dishes. Prosecutors are treating the case as a theft of state energy rather than a standalone crypto-mining offense, because mining itself is not specifically criminalized in Mexico. Investigators say the site was likely positioned near the Nuevo Necaxa hydroelectric system to exploit access to electricity, and an unauthorized transformer installation helped lead police to the property. The case has also widened into a financial inquiry, with forensic accountants tracing how the expensive equipment was purchased and whether money laundering was involved. The broader backdrop is a fragmented regulatory environment: crypto ownership, trading, and mining are generally allowed in Mexico, even though cryptocurrencies are not legal tender. The article argues that while blockchain ledgers make token transfers visible, they do not capture the physical energy chain that powers mining. That gap leaves room for organized illicit operations, with the costs of stolen electricity ultimately absorbed by utilities, power grids, and paying consumers.

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Mexico

1 months agoNews Editor

Mexican authorities seize about 300 crypto mining rigs in Puebla over suspected power theft

Mexican federal prosecutors, the navy and police in Puebla state seized about 300 cryptocurrency mining machines in the mountain municipality of Tlaola in northern Puebla, according to an Odaily report citing Decrypt. Authorities also recovered transformers, medium-voltage connection terminals and a functional satellite internet antenna during the operation. Investigators suspect the site was drawing electricity illegally from federal hydroelectric infrastructure supplied by the Nuevo Necaxa dam. Crypto mining itself is legal in Mexico, but prosecutors are preparing charges tied to electricity theft. Puebla Security Minister Francisco Sánchez said investigators followed leads on illegal mining because the location was close to the Nuevo Necaxa dam and found a very large power connection at the site. Authorities have not ruled out money laundering. Forensic accountants are tracing the source of funds used to acquire the machines, while the state government is also checking whether any mining proceeds were used to launder criminal income. Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission has joined the probe. From January to July 2024, non-technical losses from power theft, meter tampering and illegal hookups reached about 6.346 billion kilowatt-hours, worth roughly 1.38 billion pesos.

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Mexico

1 months agoNews Editor

Mexican authorities seize about 300 crypto miners in Puebla power theft case

Mexican federal prosecutors, working with the navy and police in Puebla state, raided a property in the remote mountain municipality of Tlaola and seized about 300 cryptocurrency mining machines, according to Decrypt. Authorities also confiscated equipment including transformers, medium-voltage terminals and a satellite internet antenna. Investigators said the mining site had been illegally connected to the grid of the Nuevo Necaxa hydroelectric plant. Prosecutors have already filed charges over alleged electricity theft. The case has not stopped there: forensic accountants are now tracing the source of funding used to acquire the hardware, and money laundering has not been ruled out. The report comes against a broader backdrop of power losses in Mexico. Data from the country’s Federal Electricity Commission showed that non-technical electricity losses totaled 6,346 gigawatt-hours between January and July 2024, with an estimated value of 13.8 billion pesos, or about $817 million.

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Bitcoin

2 months agoNews Editor

Brazil police uncover illegal bitcoin mining site at scrap yard

Brazilian police found a hidden illegal Bitcoin mining operation at a scrap recycling yard during a routine inspection tied to stolen scrap metal and fencing, according to Livecoins. Officers seized about 15 ASIC miners and three servers, with the equipment valued at more than 200,000 Brazilian reais, or roughly $39,400. While Bitcoin mining itself is legal in Brazil, authorities said the setup was drawing power illegally. Local utility Cemig estimated monthly losses at around 60,000 reais, or about $11,800. A 37-year-old employee at the recycling yard was arrested at the scene on theft and receiving stolen goods charges after failing to explain the origin of the machines and not providing invoices. Police also opened a case against a 31-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman listed as responsible for the business. Authorities said they are now tracing where the mined cryptocurrency went.

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Malaysia

3 months agoNews Editor

Malaysia police raid illegal Bitcoin mining sites in Johor, seize 71 machines

Police in Johor, Malaysia, raided four rental houses on July 22 and 23, seizing 71 Bitcoin mining machines and arresting three people, according to Techub News, which cited DW. Authorities said the group bypassed electricity meters to steal power, causing losses estimated at about $16,600. The seized machines were said to generate roughly $17,200 to $21,500 in monthly revenue. Data from Malaysia’s Energy Ministry shows the scale of power theft tied to illegal crypto mining has risen sharply in recent years. Cases increased from 610 in 2018 to 2,397 in 2024. Between 2020 and 2025, the national power company identified nearly 14,000 related sites, with cumulative losses reaching about 1.1 billion euros. The ministry said such activity poses a serious threat to public safety and the electricity system.

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Bitcoin mining

3 months agoNews Editor 01

Two Men in Heilongjiang Jailed Nearly 15 Years for Running Bitcoin Miners in Abandoned Pig Pen

Two men in Daqing, Heilongjiang, were sentenced after installing 36 Bitcoin mining rigs in an abandoned pig pen and illegally tapping an oilfield power line to steal more than 1 million kWh of electricity.

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Thailand

4 months agoNews Editor

Thailand Seizes 315 Crypto Mining Machines Suspected of Power Theft

Thai police and relevant agencies raided 14 locations across five northeastern provinces and seized 315 cryptocurrency mining machines suspected of operating through illegal power connections and tampered electricity meters, according to Bangkok Post.

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