The MIA Cybersecurity Center reported about another unauthorized cryptocurrency mining farm discovered in Samarkand.

Law enforcement agencies identified the facility during joint raids with representatives of local power grids. The farm was located on the property of the Oil Extraction company.

Its owner, 51-year-old local resident S.B., arbitrarily connected 10 Abtiminer S19 and 3 Whatsminer M30 devices, as well as a cooling system, to the power grid.

The total damage from illegal energy consumption amounted to 2.53 billion soums. A criminal case has been initiated against the owner under Article 169-4 of the Criminal Code (theft on an especially large scale).

Last week, employees of the Cybersecurity Center, together with Uzenergoinspektsiya, identified a mining farm on the territory of the Gold Brand Mebel company workshop. It used energy worth almost 10 billion soums.

According to the PGO, from the beginning of the year until December 5, 26 “gray” mining farms were identified across Uzbekistan. Their total electricity consumption amounted to 29 million kWh or the equivalent of the monthly consumption of 145 thousand households.

The total cost of illegally used energy amounted to 58.2 billion soums. In this regard, 29 citizens were charged under Article 169 of the Criminal Code (theft).

In October, an illegal mining farm was found in Kokand, operating in a poultry workshop. The second mining farm, which managed to use electricity worth 12 billion soums, was closed in November.

Law enforcement officers discovered the largest number of farms in the Navoi region – the last of the four was closed the previous week. Three more illegal miners were identified in the Fergana region and the same number in Tashkent and the capital’s region.