Mexico's Crypto Mining Crackdown: 300 Rigs Seized from Hydroelectric Dam
Mexico's authorities have seized over 300 cryptocurrency mining rigs from a property in Tlaola, a municipality in the state of Puebla. The operation drew power illegally from a hydroelectric dam complex fed by the Nuevo Necaxa dam.
The site was raided by Mexican federal prosecutors, the Navy, and Puebla state police, who found transformers, medium-voltage terminals, and working satellite internet antennas alongside the mining rigs.
While mining is legal in Mexico, prosecutors are preparing a charge of electricity theft against the operators. The state security minister, Francisco Sánchez, said that investigators had tracked reports of illegal mining due to its proximity to the dam and the large power connection.
The operation is part of a larger investigation into a network exploiting the Sierra Norte's hydroelectric infrastructure in neighboring states. Forensic accountants are tracing who funded the hardware, and the state government is examining whether assets produced there were used to launder proceeds of crime.