More than 1,000 Bitcoin mining machines were confiscated in Malaysia for operating illegally and with stolen electricity. Now, they have been destroyed by being steamrolled in Miri. Their value was estimated at 5,3 million Malaysian ringgits ($1.26 million).
The 1,069 mining machines were seized between February and April of this year. The machinery was confiscated thanks to a joint operation between the police and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) in the Malaysian city of Miri.
Eight people were arrested for taking part in illegal mining activities, according to Hakemal Hawari, the Miri police chief ACP. He also declared: “A total of six people have been successfully charged under Section 379 of the Penal Code for electricity theft and have been fined up to RM8,000 and jailed for up to eight months.”
According to the authorities, the machines were stealing electricity from SEB’s electricity supply lines. SEB experienced a loss of 8.4 million Malaysian ringgits as a result of this: “The electricity theft for mining bitcoin activities has caused frequent power outages and in 2021, three houses were razed due to illegal electricity supply connections.”