To punish theft of electricity for mining, the Malaysian police used a road roller to crush more than 1,000 mining machines (with video)

Author | Qin Xiaofeng

Editor | Hao Fangzhou

Produced by | Odaily Planet Daily

According to CNBC, authorities in the Malaysian state of Sarawak recently used steamrollers to destroy 1,069 Bitcoin mining machines as part of a joint operation between local law enforcement and power company Sarawak Energy. Local media released a video of the incident last week, which then caused a sensation on social media.

https://video.36krcnd.com/202107/20030544/z4mz5gz13h8f0u1g.mp4 (Large-scale execution of mining machines)

It is understood that Miri City law enforcement departments conducted a total of 6 surprise inspections from February to April this year based on clues, and confiscated more than 1,000 mining machines suspected of stealing electricity for mining. (Note: Miri is the second largest city in Sarawak, Malaysia, the capital of Miri Province, located in the north of Sarawak, adjacent to Brunei.)

Assistant Commissioner of Police Hakemal Hawari said the miners stole more than $2 million worth of electricity from Sarawak Energy's grid and that the theft also led to the burning of three houses in the city.

While cryptocurrency mining is not illegal in Malaysia, the country has strict laws regarding electricity use. Under Section 37 of Malaysia’s Electricity Supply Act, tampering with power lines and stealing electricity can result in a fine of up to 100,000 Malaysian ringgit (about $23,700) and five years in prison.

Hakemal Hawari said eight people had been arrested in recent raids and six had been charged with energy theft; those charged will be jailed for eight months and face fines of up to $1,900 each.

For the thousands of mining machines confiscated, the police chose to crush them instead of selling them according to the order of the local court. It is understood that the total value of the mining machines destroyed this time is about 1.26 million US dollars, and the model of the mining machines is not clear at present.

The local police chief said that after recent cleanup operations, there are no longer any active miners in Miri City.

According to a study by Cambridge University, Malaysia’s Bitcoin computing power accounts for 3.44%, ranking among the top ten in the world. With the recent tightening of law enforcement in Malaysia, miners who want to take a different approach are leaving the market early.

This article refers to multiple sources of information: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/19/malaysian-police-steamroll-1point25-million-worth-of-bitcoin-mining-rigs.html. If reprinted, please indicate the source.