Bitcoin Mining in a Venezuelan Prison: The Tocorón Case
In Venezuela, bitcoin mining is being hidden in a prison. A recent discovery has shown that the Tocorón prison, run by the criminal gang Tren de Aragua, was being used for mining.
Tocorón, a Prison in the Hands of a Gang
On September 20th, 11,000 soldiers of the Venezuelan army reestablished control over Tocorón, previously managed by the criminal gang Tren de Aragua. The gang had turned the prison into a self-run city, setting up inside structures such as a nightclub, a swimming pool, a small zoo, and a playground. Tocorón, a prison classified among the most dangerous in Venezuela, had been under the gang’s control since 2011 and housed about 7,000 inmates at the time of the armed forces’ blitz.
Energy and Mining
Among the structures set up inside the prison walls, the presence of ASICs, notorious mining hardware. The sources of the electrical energy supplied to the mine are unknown, but some users on Reddit speculate that it could have been provided by the Venezuelan government, as part of the public expenses dedicated to Tocorón.
