In a series of raids, Malaysian officials have taken down multiple Bitcoin mining operations posing as basic shophouses. In total, the authorities have seized over 400 Bitcoin mining machines.
Overall, the costs for these mining machines amount up to RM180,000. Specifically, that stacks up to $43,800. The raids went down in George Town, Penang.
Assistant Commissioner, Soffian Santong, led the charge. The task force held members from the state criminal investigation department, district police headquarters, and Tenaga Nasional. In particular, this team stormed shophouses to bust the illegal Bitcoin miners.
The raid began at 11:30 PM and went on till 3 AM on Friday, June 11. Following after, the officials found the criminals directly siphoning electricity to power the Bitcoin miners.
The task force made arrests from the first three raids. Here, they caught 4 suspects. Upon questioning the suspects it was found that they only began working on the operation a couple of months ago.
Moreover, questioning the suspects gave the officials a lead to their next target. All in all, the task force raided seven shophouses. These were in Lintang Hajjah Rehmah, Jelutong, Sungai Dua, and Bayan Lepas.
Presently, the task force is on the lookout for the mastermind behind the whole Bitcoin mining setup. It seems illegal Bitcoin mining has been on the rise in the nation lately. Officials are trying to track down the ring leader to put a stop to electricity siphoning. Overall, the stolen electricity amounts to RM420,000, which is $102,239, in just two months alone.
In contrast, while Malaysia is busting down illegal Bitcoin mining operations, other countries are embracing Bitcoin mining. Shortly after making Bitcoin a legal tender in El Salvador, the country has made a plan to begin mining Bitcoin. In addition, the nation will be powering its Bitcoin miners with geothermal energy gathered from its volcanoes.
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