Malaysian police have cracked down on yet one more unlawful Bitcoin mining operation, this time within the Hulu Terengganu and Marang districts within the northeast of the nation.
In response to native information outlet Malay Mail, the raids on two separate premises led to the seizure of 45 Bitcoin mining machines value roughly $52,145 (RM225,000), alongside different gear.
Terengganu police chief Datuk Mohd Khairi Khairuddin estimated that the electrical energy theft value Tenaga Nasional—Malaysia’s solely electrical energy firm—round $8,342 (RM36,000) in month-to-month losses.
Mohd Khairi mentioned in an announcement that the syndicates behind the unlawful mining operation are believed to have operated from residential and industrial properties, utilizing electrical energy from the native grid illegally.
The operation was carried out in collaboration with Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s (TNB) Particular Engagement In opposition to Losses (SEAL) unit. The police chief mentioned no arrests have been made in the course of the crackdown itself, however all of the seized objects have been taken to the suitable district police headquarters for additional investigation.
Bitcoin mining is authorized in Malaysia. Nonetheless, tampering with the grid’s electrical energy connectivity is punishable by as much as 5 years’ imprisonment and/or a superb of as much as $21,500 (RM100,000.)
Unlawful Bitcoin mining plagues Southeast Asia
Unlawful Bitcoin mining operations, which siphon vitality from the nationwide grids, are a rising downside in East and Southeast Asia.
A 2025 report from the United Nations Workplace on Medication and Crime (UNODC) highlighted that worldwide legal teams working within the area are drawn to Bitcoin mining because it permits them to bypass anti-money laundering legal guidelines in comparison with extra conventional types of crime. A Bloomberg report from final yr indicated that China’s determination to ban Bitcoin mining in 2021 might have helped to push the sort of criminal activity into Southeast Asia.
This development has had real-world penalties for Malaysia earlier than. In February of this yr, an explosion within the Bandar Puncak Alam metropolis, Malaysia, revealed a nine-rig unlawful Bitcoin mining operation.
Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, the nation’s deputy vitality transition and water transformation minister, advised Malay Mail in July 2024 that unlawful crypto mining has value the nation at the least $722 million (RM3.4 billion) in electrical energy prices between 2018 and 2023.
Neighboring Thailand has additionally had its fair proportion of high-profile crypto mining crackdowns, together with one involving 1,000 machines earlier this yr thought to have stolen $3 million from the nation’s grid.
