The most profitable mining is mining for free electricity. This principle is adhered to by fraudsters in all countries of the world, including Russia. They are trying to locate farms in the vicinity of industrial enterprises, where it is possible to illegally connect to the grid or install an industrial gas generator at the pipe with free gas.
So did enterprising dealers from Orenburg. They were calculated by the grid operator, who recorded unauthorized power consumption "in excess of 8 million kWh" from the territory of the abandoned plant.
Having received the message, the investigative team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Orenburg region and the OMON fighters immediately left for the scene.
“The police received a statement from the employees of the energy company that a loss of electricity was recorded on the territory of one of the former factories of the city of Orenburg,”
said Russian Interior Ministry Col. Irina Volk (on video).
More than 6,000 pieces of equipment neatly mounted in racks and power supply cables leading to a nearby substation of the plant were found at the plant. Thus, the fact of theft of electricity is installed. In addition, hundreds of boxes of newly purchased equipment were found in the next room.
“It was pre-established that high-tech equipment was used for the production of cryptocurrency. The work of this enterprise was carried out without taking into account the consumption of electricity in excess of 8 million kWh, ”explained the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to the preliminary version of the investigation, the mining farm is owned by two managers of a company that officially operated in the territory of the former plant. Suspects or accomplices hid in the substation, where they were detained by riot police, opening the iron door with a sledgehammer.
A criminal case was initiated against businessmen under
Part 2 of Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Causing property damage by deception or abuse of trust." Part 2 relates to a deed committed by a group of persons in a preliminary conspiracy or causing especially large damage.
The crime is punishable by forced labor for up to 5 years with restriction of freedom for up to 2 years or without imprisonment for up to 5 years with a fine of up to 80 thousand rubles. or in the amount of the salary or other income of the convict for a period of up to six months.
Obviously, in this case, the most painful for criminals will be a fine in the amount of income received over the past six months. Apparently, the confiscation of property by the article is not provided for, so it is possible that the equipment will be returned to the miners after they pay the fine and will serve a fixed period (although they may be limited to only a small fine for the cost of electricity). Still, 6000 ASIC boards are about a million dollars, or even more.
The size of the mining farm is shown in the video. Two workshops of the second farm with five boxes in each workshop are shown there. In each box - several hundred boards.
Probably, the total capacity of a mining pool today will fall a little bit.