Police are stepping up their fight against illegal mining operations that have cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen electricity.
According to local newspaper Malay Mail, Malaysian authorities have recently intensified their crackdown on unauthorized Bitcoin mining operations, targeting yet another illegal activity in the northeastern regions of the country.
Malaysian police carried out raids at two separate locations in the Hulu Terengganu and Marang districts, confiscating 45 mining machines worth a total of approximately $52,145 (RM225,000), along with other related equipment. The illegal operation was causing estimated monthly losses of around $8,342 (RM36,000) to Tenaga Nasional, the country’s sole electricity provider.
Terengganu police chief Datuk Mohd Khairi Khairuddin stated that the criminal organizations behind these operations were running them from both residential and commercial properties, illegally siphoning electricity from the local grid. The raid was carried out in collaboration with the Special Engagement Against Losses (SEAL) unit of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
In Malaysia, tampering with the national grid’s electrical connections is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $21,500 (RM100,000).
Last February, an explosion in the city of Bandar Puncak Alam uncovered an illegal mining operation with nine machines. Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister for Energy Transition and Water Transformation, told Malay Mail in July 2024 that illegal mining had cost the country at least $722 million (RM3.4 billion) in energy expenses between 2018 and 2023.
Neighboring Thailand has also faced a series of mining crackdowns, including one earlier this year involving nearly 1,000 machines, which reportedly stole $3 million worth of electricity from the national grid.
