According to a statement issued by Malaysian police, the confiscated machines were powered with stolen electricity
Malaysian police have destroyed 1,773 Bitcoin ASIC miners, according to a Sunday report by local newspaper Sinar Harian.
Apart from mining machines, the authorities also disposed of computers, modems, desktop switches and routers, and CCTVs.
The aforementioned equipment had been seized as the result of 38 raids carried out in the Kota Setar District.
Acting on a tip, Kedah police searched 21 locations to investigate electrical power theft, electric meter tampering, and the level of damage inflicted on electricity supply lines.
Illegal mining is pretty common in Malaysia. In December, Malaysian authorities confiscated more than 1,700 Bitcoin mining machines that were cumulatively worth over $800,000. They were used for mining Bitcoin with stolen electricity.
Last July, a video that shows hundreds of Bitcoin mining steamrolled by Malaysian authorities went viral on social media. The destroyed ASICs were powered by electricity stolen from Sarawak Energy power lines. Those who were responsible for managing the mining operation were arrested.
Bitcoin mining requires a massive amount of electrical power since ASIC machines require solving extremely complicated mathematical tasks. When unethical miners siphon electricity, it exerts immense pressure on power lines and causes blackouts. In the aforementioned case, three houses caught fire cause of the illegal mining operation.
Illicit mining is also rampant in other parts of the globe. As reported by U.Today, Iran’s government recently announced that those who run mining farms illegally would face much tougher penalties.
Last May, U.K. police accidentally uncovered an illegal Bitcoin mining farm while searching for a cannabis factory.