Thailand seizes 63 illegal crypto mining rigs that stole over $327k in electricity

Officials of Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) seized 63 illegal crypto mining machines on Friday, according to a report by The Nation. The illegal crypto mining rigs, worth around 2 million baht ($60,000), were found in three abandoned houses in the Pathum Thani province.

Officials conducted a raid after locals of the region complained about unidentified individuals stealing electricity from the region’s utility poles and transformers. The locals suspected that the stolen electricity was being used for cryptocurrency mining operations hidden in abandoned buildings.

Crypto mining requires massive amounts of electricity. Authorities estimate that the illicit mining rigs caused losses worth over 11 million baht (over $327 million) to the Metropolitan Electricity Authority.

The illegal mining rigs were controlled remotely

Police officials said that along with the mining rigs, they also confiscated three crypto mining controllers, three routers, three internet signal boosters, three modified electricity metres, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and two bank passbooks. No arrests were made as the mining operations were being controlled remotely.

Officials found evidence, however, that the illicit operation had ties to a luxury house in Ram-Indra Soi 65 in Bangkok’s Khan Na Yao district. The CIB officials have requested a search warrant to raid the linked residence and locate the ring leader and other accomplices.

Authorities noted that besides causing damages to the electricity department, the illegal mining rigs also posed a major fire hazard. This is because the operations utilized high amounts of power but had no human monitoring.

Thailand has been plagued with illegal mining operations

Bitcoin miners are treated as manufacturers in Thailand and are subject to associated taxes. However, illegal crypto mining has been a rampant problem across Thailand and Southeast Asia for years.

In a raid conducted in January, authorities seized 996 illegal Bitcoin (BTC) mining rigs from the Phanat Nikhom district in Thailand.

In November 2024, authorities shut down nine illegal Bitcoin mining farms in the Surat Thani province. The farms were estimated to have stolen electricity worth nearly $300,000.

Similarly, in August, authorities raided a town west of Bangkok and found evidence of illegal crypto mining after locals complained about power outages.