More than 6,000 Bitcoin mining machines seized in new operations in Venezuela – DiarioBitcoin
By Hannah Perez
Venezuelan authorities continue their offensive to crack down on cryptocurrency mining farms in the country. There are more than 17,000 mining equipment seized in recent weeks.
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- Nearly 6,300 Bitcoin mining machines were confiscated in operations in Portuguesa and Cojedes
- They are part of the Ministry of Energy’s efforts to disconnect miners from the national electrical grid.
- In Carabobo, more than 6,000 machines were seized a few days ago, which adds up to more than 17,000 in total.
A new batch of mining machines Bitcoin were seized in Venezuela as part of the local government’s efforts to dismantle cryptocurrency mining operations nationwide.
Venezuelan authorities seized more than 6,000 pieces of equipment intended for mining Bitcoin in two new operations that were carried out in the states of Portuguesa and Cojedes, local media reported last week.
In a first operation, headed by the Ministry of National Energy and Corpoelec, the state electricity company, 5,995 miners were confiscated from Bitcoin, even when these were disconnected from the national electrical grid, according to officials. Members of the Public Ministry, as well as the military and national intelligence forces participated in the operation.
Likewise, 293 miners were disconnected and confiscated in another operation carried out in the state of Cojedes, located in the central-western region of the country, where energy connection equipment was also confiscated.
The actions come after the seizure of numerous equipment in the state of Carabobo and as part of a plan recently announced by the Ministry of National Energy that aims to disconnect all mining farms from Bitcoin to lighten the energy load of these operations on the electrical system.
“The objective of this plan is to avoid the high impact on the demand for electrical service due to digital mining. In addition, it seeks to disconnect all cryptocurrency mining farms in the country from the National Electrical System (SEN).“, wrote the mayor of Portuguesa in instagram in the context of the last two operations.
More than 17,000 miners seized in Venezuela
A few days ago, the governor of Carabobo, Rafael Lacava, uploaded a video to social networks in which he involved his followers in the dismantling process of what appeared to be a large-scale mining farm located in the city of Valencia. More than 11,000 mining machines Bitcoin were seized in the operationand there are many more to go“, said.
This occurred shortly after the Ministry of Electric Energy announced the implementation of a plan to control large energy consumers with a special focus on crypto miners. Venezuela’s precarious electricity system left the entire country without power for several days in 2019, and frequently faces blackouts and rationing to prevent its collapse.
“We are restricting the irresponsible consumption of cryptocurrency farms that suck up a few megawatts and are the ones that lead to rationing“Lacava said in a video together with the Minister of Electric Energy, Jorge Márquez, recently appointed by President Nicolás Maduro to deal with ““Electric Warfare”.
The developments also come amid the Prosecutor’s Office investigations into the so-called “PDVSA crypto” corruption scandal, which led to the arrest of former Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami. The case forced a restructuring of the Superintendence of Cryptoassets months ago and left the cryptocurrency regulation frameworks in the country in limbo.
With the latest operations, more than 17,000 miners have already been confiscated Bitcoin from several facilities in the country.
Article by Hannah Estefanía Pérez / DailyBitcoin
Picture of Unsplash
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