Cryptocurrency Mining Farm with 620 Devices Discovered in Makhachkala Parking Garage

Police in Makhachkala, in collaboration with specialists from the Dagenergo branch, uncovered a cryptocurrency mining farm with 620 devices in the garage of an underground parking facility while investigating residents’ complaints about power surges in a multi-storey building.

The equipment belonged to a 35-year-old local resident. An inspection revealed that he had connected the equipment to power lines, bypassing metering devices.

During the farm’s operation, he stole 1.75 million kWh of electricity, equivalent to the three-month consumption of 120 apartments. The damage amounted to over 12.2 million rubles.

Authorities seized 620 ASIC miners, a laptop, a video recorder, and flash drives.

The miner faces up to five years in prison.

Back in mid-January, Makhachkala authorities identified a mining farm with 250 devices that caused a critical overload of the power grid.

Earlier, energy officials in Dagestan urged Bitcoin miners to shut down their farms during cold spells.