Thai authorities have raided an illegal bitcoin mine west of Bangkok after residents complained of frequent power outages in the area for over a month, local authorities said on Sunday.
Police and officials from the Provincial Electricity Authorities (PEA) searched the house in Ratchaburi city on Friday.
“We found Bitcoin mining facilities, which suggests that people are using this house to run a mine and consuming electricity for which they have not paid the full price,” said Jamnong Chanwong, a top district security official.
He explained to journalists that records showed that electricity consumption in the house was high, but they had only paid for a very small portion of it.
Mining virtual currencies such as Bitcoins requires powerful computers that consume enormous amounts of electricity.
In Thailand, Bitcoin miners are considered manufacturers and must pay the corresponding taxes, but illegal mining has been increasing for years.
Jamnong said his team tried to enter the house on Thursday but was turned away by a security guard. They then returned with a search warrant and found that most of the equipment had been taken away.
He said the house had been rented by a company for about four months, but the power outages began in mid-July, when the mine was believed to be at full capacity.
No one was arrested during the raid, he added.
It was the fourth time this year that authorities raided an illegal Bitcoin mine in Ratchaburi province.
