Cryptocurrency mining equipment with an estimated value of over 5 million baht has been confiscated by authorities from two houses in Samut Prakan. The seizure occurred after it was discovered that the combined electricity theft from these properties exceeded 500,000 baht per month.
On May 12, police officers and officials from the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) conducted searches in the Muang district following reports of unusual electricity consumption. While police did not disclose whether any arrests were made during the raids, they were prompted by a complaint filed by two MEA-authorized electricians against the tenants of the two houses for allegedly stealing electricity.
The initial raid was carried out at a residence in Bang Muang subdistrict, where authorities seized 60 mining rigs valued at approximately 3 million baht. It was revealed that the house had been illegally utilizing electricity worth 300,000 baht each month.
In the second operation, conducted in the same area at a house located in Soi Sap Boonchai 28, 20 mining rigs and computers with an estimated worth of 2 million baht were confiscated. The police said the tenants of this property had been stealing electricity worth around 200,000 baht monthly.
Cryptocurrency mining is an energy-intensive process that demands significant computing power. The billions of calculations involved in mining a single Bitcoin are known to consume approximately 150,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. (NNT)
