Thai authorities raid illegal bitcoin mine after power outages
- Bitcoin miners are considered manufacturers in Thailand and must pay associated taxes, but illegal mining has been on the rise for years
Thai authorities raided an illegal bitcoin mine west of Bangkok after residents complained of frequent blackouts in the area for more than a month, local authorities said Sunday.
Police and officials from the Provincial Electricity Authorities (PEA) raided the house in Ratchaburi town on Friday.
“We found bitcoin mining rigs, pointing to people using this house to operate a mine and using power they didn’t fully pay for,” said Jamnong Chanwong, a chief district security officer.
He told journalists that records showed electricity consumption in the house was large, but they had paid for very little of it.
Mining virtual currencies such as bitcoin requires powerful computers that consume huge amounts of electricity.
Bitcoin miners are considered manufacturers in Thailand and must pay associated taxes, but illegal mining has been on the rise for years.
