Mexican Investigators Shut Down Secret Crypto Mining Operation Over Suspected Electricity Theft

Mexican federal and state investigators have raided a secret cryptocurrency mining operation in the mountains of Puebla, seizing hundreds of specialized computers. The facility, located in Tlaola, was shut down after a coordinated operation by the Attorney General's Office, the Mexican Navy, and Puebla's Public Security Secretariat.

The building contained approximately 300 high-performance graphics processing units still running at the time of the raid, as well as a pedestal transformer, about 80 medium-voltage terminals, and eight satellite internet antennas. The satellite links would have allowed the machines to stay online without relying on local communications networks.

Cryptocurrency mining is not itself illegal in Mexico, but investigators are reviewing whether the site was irregularly connected to infrastructure tied to the nearby Nuevo Necaxa hydroelectric complex, a federal generation system operated through the Comisión Federal de Electricidad. Energy specialists note that electricity is usually the largest recurring cost in mining.

Forensic accountants are also trying to determine who paid for the expensive hardware and whether virtual assets generated at the site could have been used to give illicit proceeds an appearance of legality.