Thailand’s Crackdown on Illegal Crypto Mining: Seizing 63 Rigs That Siphoned $327,000 in Electricity

Introduction: A Raid Triggered by Community Vigilance

On March 28, 2025, Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) executed a meticulously planned operation in Pathum Thani province, seizing 63 illicit cryptocurrency mining rigs. This action, reported by The Nation, was not a routine sweep but a direct response to persistent complaints from local residents. These residents had noticed suspicious activity: unidentified individuals tapping into utility poles and transformers, siphoning electricity to power operations hidden within three abandoned houses. The seized equipment, valued at approximately 2 million baht ($60,000 USD), underscores a growing challenge in Thailand — unauthorized crypto mining that exploits public resources.

For the average reader, this might seem like a niche crime, but its implications are far-reaching. Cryptocurrency mining, particularly for coins like Bitcoin, demands immense computational power and, consequently, electricity — often more than entire households consume annually. The Pathum Thani case highlights how such illegal setups not only burden utility providers but also disrupt communities. With losses to the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) estimated at 11 million baht ($327,000 USD), this incident offers a window into the scale and sophistication of these underground operations.

The Scope of the Seizure: What Was Uncovered

The CIB’s raid revealed a treasure trove of equipment meticulously assembled to sustain a high-output mining operation. Beyond the 63 mining rigs — each likely an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) unit optimized for hashing algorithms like SHA-256 used in Bitcoin mining — authorities confiscated a suite of supporting technology. This included:

• Three crypto mining controllers: These devices manage the rigs’ performance, optimizing hash rates (potentially exceeding 100 terahashes per second per rig, based on modern ASIC standards).
• Three routers and three internet signal boosters: Essential for maintaining stable, high-speed connections to mining pools, these ensured the rigs could operate 24/7 without interruption.
• Three modified electricity meters: Tampered to underreport usage, these allowed the perpetrators to mask their theft of over 11 million baht in electricity — equivalent to powering roughly 1,500 Thai households for a month, assuming an average consumption of 200 kWh per household at 3.7 baht/kWh.