Odaily Planet Daily News: Federal prosecutors, the navy, and the police of Puebla State seized approximately 300 cryptocurrency mining rigs in the town of Tlaloc, in the northern mountains of Puebla State. The operation also uncovered transformers, medium-voltage terminal blocks, and functional satellite internet antennas; the electricity at the scene is suspected to have been illegally drawn from federal hydroelectric facilities powered by the Nuevo Necaxa Dam.
Cryptocurrency mining is legal within Mexico, but prosecutors are preparing to charge individuals with theft of electricity. Francisco Sánchez, Secretary of Public Security in the state of Puebla, stated that investigators followed leads on illegal mining in the area due to its proximity to the Nuevo Necaxa Dam and discovered a large-scale electricity connection.
Money laundering suspicions have not been ruled out; forensic accountants are tracing the source of funds for mining equipment, and state authorities are verifying whether the generated power was used to launder illicit proceeds. The Mexican Federal Electricity Commission has joined the investigation, with non-technical losses from electricity theft, meter tampering, and illegal connections totaling approximately 6.346 billion kWh between January and July 2024, valued at around 1.38 billion pesos. (Decrypt)