To the thief! The mining of cryptocurrencies is an activity that requires a lot of equipment and electricity and that is why some minors do not hesitate to go on the dark side and steal electricity to power their machines. This is the case of a man who was arrested in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro, for having siphoned the electrical network in order to undermine crypto.
The key points of this article:A man was arrested in the north of Rio de Janeiro for having stolen electricity in order to undermine cryptocurrencies, revealing the extent of a disturbing problem.
Brazil plans to strictly regulate cryptocurrency mining, while similar incidents have been reported in other countries in South America.
A crypto minor caught in the bag
According to information from the local police, the man had rented a house in the Freguesia district, on the island of the governor, where he had installed several high performance mining machines. The house was supplied with electricitybut did not have counterwhich obviously indicates a flight of electricity. The man was therefore arrested for this offense. Police said the house was used exclusively for the crypto miningan activity that worked 24 hours a day. electricity flight. Although the flight of electricity is illegal, the mining of cryptocurrencies itself is legal in Brazil. However, the workers' party, in power, is currently looking to limit this activity to the entities regulated et approvedwho obtained a minor license. Other incidents similar have been reported in recent months in the country's capital, São Pauloand local police have strengthened repression on these illegal activities.
Illegal mining is a full -developing practice in the world
The international scourge of illegal mining
The cryptocurrency miningthat it is legal or illegalhas exploded in South America in recent years. THE Venezuela announced an initiative in May 2023 to close the illegal minors operating in the country, citing pressure on its electricity network, subject to breakdowns. At the same time, the Paraguay revealed a ban on April 2024 to try to eradicate illegal mining operations in the country, while the country also seeks to welcome some of the largest mines de crypto legal in the world. The country's public electricity company claimed to have lost $ 60 million due to this type of electricity flight. But mining operations illegal continued to appear worldwide. There Malaysia reported an increase of 300 % of this type of activity since 2018. This year, incidents have been reported in countries ranging from Thailand au Kuwait. And this week, the police of Hong Kong arrested two men suspected of having diverted electricity from retirement homes in order to undermine cryptocurrencies. The mining of cryptocurrencies is therefore an activity which attracts more and more people, but which also poses many problems, especially in terms of energy consumption and legality. The authorities of many countries are trying to regulate this sector, But the task turns out to be complicated in the face of the ingenuity of illegal minors.