Malaysia has formed a joint task force to seize nearly 14,000 illegal Bitcoin mining machines.

PANews reported on December 4th, citing Bloomberg, that Malaysian authorities formed a joint task force, utilizing high-tech drones and ground police, to locate and shut down nearly 14,000 illegal Bitcoin mining devices. Drones hovered over buildings, searching for heat radiation signals, while ground police used sensors to scan the area, detecting illegal electricity use. Neighbors frequently called the police due to strange noises, which the police discovered were actually cryptocurrency mining equipment.

Malaysia's national energy company, TNB, recently reported that illegal cryptocurrency miners have stolen $1.1 billion from the national grid since 2020. Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Transition who chaired the panel, stated, "The risk of allowing such activities to occur is no longer just theft; it could even damage our facilities. This poses a challenge to our systems." It is estimated that this $1.1 billion would be enough to meet the basic food needs of over 567,000 people in Malaysia for a whole year, or provide electricity for approximately 373,000 ordinary households in the country for a year. This is not the first time Malaysian authorities have announced a crackdown. In May of this year, electricity theft surged by 300% between 2018 and the end of 2024, leading to the closure of nearly 2,400 illegal Bitcoin mining sites.