Mexican Federal Investigators Raid Hidden Crypto Mining Operation In Puebla Over Suspected Electricity Theft, Money Laundering

Mexican federal and state investigators have shut down a concealed cryptocurrency mining site in the mountains of Puebla, seizing hundreds of specialized computers while examining whether the facility stole electricity and helped disguise illicit funds.

The property was secured in Tlaola, a remote municipality in the Sierra Norte, after a coordinated operation by the federal Attorney General’s Office, the Mexican Navy, and Puebla’s Public Security Secretariat.

Officials said the building contained roughly 300 high-performance graphics processing units still running at the time of the raid, along with a pedestal transformer, about 80 medium-voltage terminals, and eight satellite internet antennas.

The satellite links would have allowed the machines to stay online without relying on local communications networks.

Cryptocurrency mining is not itself illegal in Mexico.

The case instead centers on how the site was powered and what the coins may have been used for.

Investigators are reviewing whether the farm was irregularly connected to infrastructure tied to the nearby Nuevo Necaxa hydroelectric complex, a federal generation system operated through the Comisión Federal de Electricidad.

Energy specialists note that electricity is usually the largest recurring cost in mining.