Malaysian authorities detain miners on suspicion of electricity theft worth $600,000

Authorities in Malaysia’s Johor state detained miners suspected of a major electricity theft. The Star, a local news portal, reports this.

Searches at two illicit mining farms in the city of Iskandar Puteri were conducted by representatives of the Malaysian Energy Commission (ST), the energy utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad, and local officials. In the two premises they found 148 units of mining equipment.

“The first site is believed to have been in operation for three years, the second for two,” said a representative of the ST during the raids.

The owners used electricity bypassing meters. They paid $7–$14 a month, but actual revenue reached up to $20,000.

The total loss from the illicit operations exceeded $600,000. According to the report, the suspects face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of $240,000.

Back in April 2018, police in the Chinese city of Tianjin detained a suspect in a major electricity theft case. They seized 600 computers used for Bitcoin mining and six high-powered air-conditioners. Police said the electricity costs for the seized devices amounted to hundreds of thousands of yuan per month.

In March 2020, a case was brought to court against an official of Ukraine’s state-run rail company Ukrzaliznytsia who mined cryptocurrency at work. The losses from his activities amounted to more than $16,000 at the exchange rate at the time.

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