Malaysian authorities destroy over 900 bitcoin mining rigs amid power theft crackdown
Quick Take
- Local police crushed the rigs with a steamroller — as shown in a video — as a warning that the authorities are continuing to crack down on electricity theft linked to bitcoin mining.
- The authorities destroyed $452,500 worth of mining machines on Monday, local media reported.
Malaysian authorities have destroyed 985 bitcoin mining machines worth about 1.98 million Malaysian ringgits ($452,500), local media reported, as the country continues its crackdown on power theft linked to bitcoin mining activities.
Malaysia Gazette reported that the Perak Tengah district police crushed the rigs with a steamroller on Monday after receiving instructions from a court. The machines were seized during enforcement operations from 2022 to this past April.
The authorities’ latest warning and enforcement actions came amid a broader crackdown on power theft issues associated with bitcoin miners. Last week, Sepang district police said the authorities arrested seven individuals for allegedly conducting bitcoin mining operations involving electricity theft.
Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, deputy energy transition and water transformation minister, said last month that crypto miners in Malaysia stole at least RM3.4 billion ($777 million) worth of power between 2018 and 2023.
Crypto mining operations have increasingly moved from China — which banned all crypto mining activities in 2021 — to the U.S. and other places, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos and Thailand. Southeast Asian nations attract miners due to their competitive electricity prices, skilled labor, and existing infrastructure.
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