Mossos d’Esquadra and the Tarragona Civil Guard dismantled an illegal cryptocurrency mining facility in Ripollet (Barcelona). In the statement, it was stated that the chief investigator was arrested and 85 computers fraudulently connected to the electricity grid were seized.

‘Addicted’ since 2021. As the organization confirmed, the mine has been in operation since 2021 and fraud was committed in electricity consumption of approximately 4.5 million euros. The installation, stored in a secret warehouse in Ripollet, was illegally connected to the network. Such installations consume large amounts of electricity and mean a huge expense not only for the equipment itself (85 computers in this case) but also for cooling and ventilation systems.

display companies. According to Mossos, the person being investigated was using this to “divert the benefits of cryptocurrency production.” They assure that the person in custody is responsible for maintaining the equipment, the investigation remains open, and further arrests are not ruled out. Fortunately, the 30-year-old detainee was brought to justice on February 23.

How did they get here?. This is the final part of a larger investigation. Mossos announced that the incident began in 2022, following “information indicating the existence of a criminal organization established in Tarragona and Terres de l’Ebre.” This first phase ended at the beginning of the year with the arrest of eleven people linked to tobacco and drug trafficking. The organization was also responsible for land transportation and launching drug boats.

From drugs to crypto. In addition, in the first stage, 250 kilos of marijuana, 22 thousand euros in cash and 50 thousand packs of fake tobacco were seized. From there, investigators tracked down the man who supplied the drug to the organization and, in the same month, found that the man in question “operated a secret warehouse in Ripollet, where the electricity consumption was disproportionate considering its size.” Additional surveillance and monitoring led to the conclusion that it was an illegal cryptocurrency mine.

A matter of consumption. The high energy consumption of this type of installation is a clear clue that something strange is going on inside. Normally such signs lead to marijuana fields, but a cryptocurrency mine also consumes a lot of energy. This high consumption even led China to ban crypto mining within its borders. Currently, global energy consumption from Bitcoin mining is estimated to represent 0.5% of global energy consumption. In 2023 alone, this process represented a consumption of 121.13 TWh.

Image | Mossos d’Esquadra

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