Indonesia’s Law Enforcement Clamps Down on 10 Bitcoin Mining Operations

Indonesian police authorities have reportedly closed down 10 Bitcoin mining operations, accusing the miners of electricity theft amounting to nearly $1 million. The North Sumatra Police Force took action against a multi-site Bitcoin mining operation across 10 locations in Indonesia. Police confiscated 1,134 Bitcoin mining machines, 11 meters of electrical cable, and computer equipment.

The Chief of North Sumatra Police, Irjen Agung Setya Imam Effendi, alleged that the organizers of the operation had tampered with electrical circuits to power the substantial number of Bitcoin mining machines.

Irjen Agung Setya Imam Effendi said:

“As we can see here, this is the PLN box. However, the electricity flow inside it is not the proper flow that should enter the box and be measured by the meter. Instead, what they took is the upper part, where electricity is taken directly from the pole and channeled inside.”

It was further claimed that the total loss from these 10 electricity theft locations is estimated to be 14.4 billion Indonesian rupiahs, which is approximately $935,666.

Earlier in August 2023, a Chinese government official was sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes and facilitating access to electricity for Bitcoin miners. Yi Xiao, a former vice chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial Political Consultative Conference Party Group, allegedly supported a 2.4 billion Chinese yuan ($329 million) Bitcoin mining enterprise under the corporate name Jiumu Group Genesis Technology, which consumed 10% of the city of Fuzhou’s entire electricity supply at one point.

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