Politics
A secret crypto currency mining operation has been uncovered in a dilapidated building near a little-used dirt road in the lush mountains of central Mexico.
A secret crypto currency mining operation has been uncovered in a dilapidated building near a little-used dirt road in the lush mountains of central Mexico. The site was so noisy that people passing nearby could hear the machines' loud mechanical sounds. However, the noise was not the only factor that drew police attention. Authorities were also alerted by the unusually large amount of electricity required to operate and cool hundreds of specialized computers.
According to a Reuters report, the mining farm was located in the Sierra Norte region of the state of Puebla, where its electricity consumption was far greater than the combined needs of the scattered small communities in the area. Police suspect the facility may have been used to launder illicit money through crypto currency mining. Crypto currency mining involves using powerful computers to generate virtual assets such as Bitcoin. In Mexico, it is emerging as a new front in the fight against organized criminal groups. Beyond drug trafficking and extortion, criminal organizations are increasingly becoming involved in the complex world of financial crimes.
Authorities in Puebla seized 300 graphics processing units, or GPUs, 80 medium-voltage terminals and eight satellite antennas from the crypto currency farm. The equipment was being used to solve complex mathematical problems in competition with millions of other computers and generate new, valuable crypto currency.
Although the operation was relatively small by international industry standards, it was the fourth crypto currency mining farm of its kind detected in the region since the beginning of last year.
David Saucedo, a security analyst based in Mexico, said the discovery suggests that drug cartels may have developed a new level of sophistication in their criminal activities. He said setting up such an operation requires technical expertise as well as financial backing from a well-funded organization, potentially one of Mexico's most powerful cartels. Mexico's federal prosecutor's office declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
