Malaysia deploys drones to raid mining farms: 14,000 devices seized, $1.1 billion in electricity lost

2025-12-04 12:20:22

[Blockchain News] Malaysia is serious this time.

Drones are hovering in the air, using thermal imaging to scan for abnormal heat sources on building rooftops; police on the ground are carrying sensors, conducting door-to-door inspections, specifically targeting places with skyrocketing electricity consumption. Many residents have reported hearing strange noises, and when police show up—they find rooms full of mining machines roaring away. In this way, a special task force targeting illegal Bitcoin mining has already seized nearly 14,000 devices.

How heavy is the cost? Malaysia’s national energy company TNB did the math: since 2020, these electricity-stealing miners have siphoned off $1.1 billion from the national grid. That amount of money could feed 567,000 people for an entire year, or power 373,000 households for 365 days.

Deputy Minister Akmal Nasrullah, who was in charge of this operation, made it clear: “This is no longer just about electricity theft—they are destroying our power infrastructure. The entire system is under pressure.”

In fact, this isn’t the first crackdown. There was a sweep back in May this year, shutting down 2,400 illegal mining sites. Even more shocking, from 2018 to 2024, electricity theft cases have surged by 300%. It looks like this cat-and-mouse game is far from over.

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UnluckyValidator

· 10h ago

Damn, 14,000 mining machines directly confiscated? Malaysia is really going hard on this. They're even using drone thermal imaging scans... $1.1 billion, man, how many people would it take to mine that much?

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MEVHunterBearish

· 12-04 12:50

Oh man, Malaysia is really going to clear the field this time—$1.1 billion just evaporated like that... Our mining days are getting tougher and tougher. --- Drone scanning, sensor inspections... this combo is pretty ruthless, electricity theft is completely exposed now. --- 14,000 mining rigs gone overnight, imagine how many people are crying their eyes out in the bathroom. --- The power infrastructure was directly wrecked, no wonder the government is taking real action this time—no one could tolerate this. --- From 2020 until now, $1.1 billion siphoned off, that's an insane amount... no wonder the authorities are so pissed. --- A house full of mining rigs roaring, neighbors all called the police, this kind of low-level operation should've been busted ages ago. --- Using thermal imaging to find heat sources, that's genius—nowhere to hide at all. --- A special task force just to deal with illegal mining? They're treating miners like the enemy now. --- It's a pity, these miners should've known this day would come from the start. --- Owing this much on electricity bills and still want to keep mining? Serves them right to get busted.

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ContractHunter

· 12-04 12:42

Malaysia’s actions this time are truly textbook-level—using drone thermal imaging scans… they’re really treating illegal miners like wanted criminals. --- $1.1 billion just gone like that. Would’ve been better spent on public blockchain infrastructure. --- LOL, the miners are finally getting a taste of being “mined” themselves. --- This is the real 51% attack—taking out your hardware directly. --- Are there still people daring to steal electricity for mining in Southeast Asia? That’s some nerve. --- What impressed me most was the detail about the electricity usage going off the charts. Seriously, as soon as the mining farm started up, the electricity meter triggered an alarm. --- With this TNB financial report out, the miners are probably crying in the bathroom. --- Drones + thermal imaging + sensors—no one can escape this combo strike. --- Only now, from 2020 until now, are they finally reacting… unbelievable. They should’ve dealt with it like this long ago.

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TradingNightmare

· 12-04 12:40

Haha, Malaysia's law enforcement is really on another level this time. Drones with thermal imaging tech directly locked onto the mining rigs, and $1.1 billion worth of electricity just evaporated like that. --- The days of stealing electricity to mine are basically over. 14,000 devices taken down in one sweep—gotta respect that efficiency. --- Wait a minute, this logic is kind of crazy. Miners steal electricity, the government pays the bill, and in the end, it's the regular people who have to foot it. Who's the real victim here? --- $1.1 billion siphoned from the national grid could support over 500,000 people for a year. Comparing those numbers just makes the whole thing even more ironic. --- If they can crack down on electricity theft so precisely, why don’t other countries have this kind of resolve? --- Malaysian government: We don't play nice—we just send in the drones. --- Honestly, illegal mining has always been a tough nut to crack in Asia. Even after shutting down 14,000 rigs, how much does it really solve? --- How come they're never this proactive during blackouts and power cuts? --- Miner: I just wanted to quietly mine some coins, then suddenly there’s a drone circling overhead... social death right there.

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MetaverseHomeless

· 12-04 12:22

They're even using drone thermal imaging now, haha, that's some serious enforcement. But on the other hand, $1.1 billion in electricity costs just vanished... miners really took a huge loss this time, feels even worse than getting everything confiscated.

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