Illegal miners exploit Bitcoin surge, putting lives and property at risk

New Straits Times

3 days ago

ALOR STAR: Driven by greed and emboldened by soaring Bitcoin prices, illegal mining syndicates are putting lives at risk with total disregard for public safety, operating right above clinics, workshops and grocery stores.
Energy Transition and Water Transformation Deputy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the cryptocurrency's value, now exceeding RM500,000 per coin, has spurred criminal groups to act with increasing recklessness.
"This isn't happening in remote areas. They're not only risking financial loss through our seizures and raids on their operations but are also endangering lives by creating serious fire hazards," he said after a joint enforcement operation involving Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the Energy Commission (ST) and the police today.
Akmal cited raids at two premises today as examples, where illegal Bitcoin mining operations were found above occupied commercial units.
"They had modified existing electrical systems, including replacing fuses and boosting the supply capacity from 200 amperes (A) to 400A. This is a dangerous setup that poses a major fire risk to surrounding users.
"One premises had a clinic and a grocery shop on the ground floor. Another was above a workshop. These are legitimate businesses run by people trying to earn an honest living, but now they're unknowingly exposed to significant danger," he said.
He added that the syndicates have also grown increasingly sophisticated and stubborn.
One of the premises raided today, he said, had been targeted multiple times before, with today's action marking the ninth raid since 2023.
"They had installed layers of steel doors to delay enforcement entry. In fact, it required assistance from the Fire and Rescue Department just to break in.
"Some syndicates even used audio decoys, such as bird sounds, to mask the constant hum of the machines," he added.
Such persistence, Akmal said, stressed the need for tighter inter-agency collaboration and stronger enforcement tools.
Meanwhile, checks at a nearby business found that operators were completely unaware of the syndicate's activities.
A woman working at a grocery store near one of the raided units said she had occasionally noticed suspicious individuals entering the premises about two years ago but had never interacted with them.
"There were no visible signs from the outside. It looked empty, and we would occasionally hear bird sounds coming from within," she said, adding that she was now concerned about the potential fire hazards.