Crypto mining and cartels: Hidden facility exposes clandestine operations In Mexico

Mexico’s discovery of a clandestine crypto-mining farm highlights how organised criminal groups are increasingly using cryptocurrency mining, transfers and laundering networks to expand their illicit operations.

The lush green mountains of Central Mexico were a part of an extensive cover, but the constant mechanical whirring gave it away. A clandestine cryptocurrency farm came under the police radar due to its excessive power consumption that was necessary to cool hundreds of specialized computing units, at levels far surpassing the needs of small communities scattered around the same area.

Crypto mining often uses powerful computers to generate virtual assets such as Bitcoin, representing a new frontier in Mexico’s fight against organized criminal groups, which have extended their reach beyond drug trafficking and extortion. In Puebla itself, the authorities were able to recover 300 graphics processing units (GPUs), 80 medium-voltage terminals, and eight satellite antennas, all geared up to compete against millions of other machines to solve puzzles and create new crypto coins.

This is the fourth such crypto farm that has been uncovered in the area since last year.

A Reuters report suggests that illicit cryptocurrency transactions more than doubled in 2025, with addresses linked to criminal activity estimated at $154 billion, up from $59 billion a year earlier. According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, which analysed transaction volumes sent to illicit wallet addresses, the trend highlights the growing use of cryptocurrencies in criminal activity.