Mexican Authorities Uncover Crypto Farm Suspected of Money Laundering

A loud mechanical hum and unusual electricity use led investigators into remote mountains, where the equipment raised far more questions than expected.

In a mountainous area of the Mexican state of Puebla, law enforcement officers discovered an illegal cryptocurrency mining farm that may have been used to launder criminal proceeds. The facility was operating in a remote location near a hydroelectric power plant and was reportedly drawing electricity from infrastructure connected to it.

As stated by Reuters

The farm was found near a little-used dirt road in the Sierra Norte mountains. Authorities became suspicious after noticing a loud mechanical noise and unusually high levels of electricity consumption for the small communities in the area.

During the inspection, law enforcement officers found equipment needed for cryptocurrency mining:

• 300 graphics processing units;
• 80 medium-voltage terminals;
• eight satellite antennas.

Cryptocurrency mining involves using powerful computers to solve complex mathematical problems and create new digital assets, including bitcoin. The operation was relatively small by international industrial standards, but it was already the fourth cryptocurrency farm discovered in the area since the beginning of last year.