Thai authorities have raided an illegal bitcoin mine west of Bangkok after residents complained of frequent power outages in the area for more than a month, local authorities announced on Sunday.
Police and officials from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) searched a home in Ratchaburi city on Friday.
“We found bitcoin mining equipment and found out that the people who were using the house to mine were using electricity that they had not paid for in full,” said Jamnon Changwon, the district security chief.
He told reporters that records showed the home's electricity consumption was high but it was paying only a small amount.
Mining cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin requires powerful computers that consume large amounts of electricity.
In Thailand, bitcoin miners are considered manufacturers and must pay relevant taxes, but illegal mining has been on the rise in recent years.
Jamnone said his team tried to enter the house on Thursday but was denied entry by security guards. They later returned with a search warrant and found most of the equipment had been removed.
He said the house had been rented to the company for about four months, but the power outages began in mid-July, when the mine was likely starting full operation.
No arrests were made during the raid, he added.
This is the fourth time this year that authorities have raided an illegal bitcoin mine in Ratchaburi province.
