GERMAN POLICE ARRESTED SIX SUSPECTS IN THE THEFT OF ELECTRICITY FOR MINING

In the German city of Klingenthal, Saxony province, police arrested a group of suspects in the theft of electricity to maintain a mining farm.

According to reports, police found 49 devices running in the premises of the former company for maintenance of electrical equipment Elektro PGH. Presumably, since 2017, the mining farm has consumed as much electricity as 30 households. The damage to the affected electricity supplier is estimated at about 220 thousand euros ($250 053).

According to local news site FreiePresse, in total there are 80 devices on graphics processors (GPU). During the raid, police arrested five men and one woman on charges of stealing electricity to carry out cryptocurrency mining activities.

In December, there was detained a citizen of Thailand, a suspect in the theft of electricity worth more than $3 million for mining bitcoins and ethereums. The suspect was accused of stealing electricity for mining cryptocurrencies worth more than 100 million Yuan ($14.5 million). The accused reportedly bribed electricians to redevelop the premises in such a way as to avoid electricity metering and the detection of stolen energy.

In October, a Chinese citizen was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for stealing electricity to mine bitcoins in buildings belonging to the railway station. The defendant operated electricity at a plant on the Kukuan railway in November and December 2017 to” 24-hour power” his 50 miners and three cooling stations.