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Civil Police Disrupts Clandestine Cryptocurrency Mining Scheme Involving Electricity Theft and Loss of R$ 100 Thousand Monthly.
The Civil Police of the Federal District dismantled, this week, a scheme of clandestine cryptocurrency mining that operated with electricity theft in urban and rural properties in the São Sebastião region.
The operation, led by the 30th Police Station, revealed that each clandestine unit caused an estimated monthly loss of R$ 100 thousand to public coffers, illegally powering high-energy-consuming equipment.
The scheme was discovered following anonymous tips and was investigated over 45 days, culminating in two consecutive operations.
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Right at the beginning of the investigation, the detectives identified clear signs of a typical pattern of a criminal organization, with a sophisticated technical structure, strategic property usage, and systematic diversion of essential resources to sustain the illegal cryptocurrency mining activity.
How Clandestine Cryptocurrency Mining Worked
Clandestine mining consists of using specialized computers to validate digital transactions and generate cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, without bearing the high electricity costs.
To do this, the suspects resorted to electricity theft, as well as the theft of internet and telephone cables, ensuring continuous operation that was invisible to billing systems.
According to the Civil Police, the structures were set up to make it difficult to identify the real consumption.
Meanwhile, the equipment operated 24 hours a day, generating high illegal profits and increasing financial and technical damage to the electrical grid.
Civil Police Operation Revealed Urban and Rural Properties
The police offensive took place over two consecutive days. On Wednesday (1/7), officers located the first property used as a clandestine cryptocurrency mining plant.
Both spaces were adapted to support dozens of equipment running simultaneously, which significantly raised the consumption of energy being illegally diverted.
Equipment Seized and Million-Dollar Loss
During the raids, the Civil Police seized 47 mining equipment from just one of the units.
The lead investigator on the case, Ronney Augusto Matsui, emphasized the scale of the scheme.
“They (the criminals) moved R$ 100 thousand in electricity theft diversion each month. The seized equipment is valued at R$ 5 thousand each.”
This amount underscores the direct financial impact caused by electricity theft, as well as the risks to the safety of the grid and the local population.
Suspect Identified and Investigation Advances on Criminal Organization
The investigations led to the identification of the main suspect connected to the gang: Roberio de Oliveira Rocha.
From this identification, the Civil Police expanded the focus of the inquiry to investigate possible branches of the group.
Moreover, investigators are analyzing evidence of a structured criminal organization and potential money laundering practices, linked both to the destination of profits obtained from clandestine mining and the sale of illegally generated cryptocurrencies.
Civil Police Requests Support from the Population
On the other hand, the 30th Police Station emphasizes that the work is not yet concluded.
New raids are underway to identify other individuals involved and map out possible new clandestine structures in the region.
Impacts of Electricity Theft Go Beyond Financial Loss
Thus, in addition to the economic damage, electricity theft used in clandestine mining can cause overload on the grid.
For this reason, authorities warn that this type of crime directly affects collective safety and the quality of essential services.
Meanwhile, operations like this reinforce the role of the Civil Police in combating technological and financial crimes.
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