Thailand Seizes 45 Bitcoin Mining Machines

Thai authorities have carried out a crackdown on illegal cryptocurrency mining operations in the Isan region, seizing 45 Bitcoin mining machines and confiscating equipment used to illegally draw electricity from the power grid.

Investigators found that the operators had tampered with electricity meters and connected their mining facilities to the grid without authorization. According to officials, the total financial damage exceeded 40.38 million baht (approximately $1.24 million). Around 35 million baht ($1.08 million) represented unpaid electricity bills, while an additional 5.38 million baht ($165,000) was attributed to penalties for regulatory violations.

Deputy government spokesperson Lalida Periswivattana said authorities launched the investigation after detecting unusually high electricity consumption and frequent power outages in the area.

The operation marks another step in Thailand’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal cryptocurrency mining. In recent months, authorities have conducted several similar raids, seizing thousands of mining devices and uncovering losses amounting to hundreds of millions of baht.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), criminal groups across Asia are increasingly using illegal cryptocurrency mining operations as a means of laundering money and generating additional revenue.