How crypto miners are stealing power in Southeast Asia

You need to enable JavaScript to run this app.

Skip to content<br>Skip to main menu<br>Skip to more DW sites

In focus<br>BerlinIranWildfires

Latest audioLatest videos<br>Live TV

Advertisement

https://p.dw.com/p/5I0yy

Governments in the region are asking whether crypto mining's economic benefits outweigh its strain on power networksImage: Matt Hunt/SOPA Images/ZUMA/picture allianceAdvertisement

A raid in Malaysia last week exposed how cryptocurrency mining is becoming entangled with electricity theft and organized crime across Southeast Asia.

In Malaysia's southern state of Johor, 71 cryptocurrency-mining machines had been running around the clock across four rented premises for about a month before police moved in.

During the raids on July 22 and 23, officers arrested three suspects and seized computers, routers and vehicles alongside equipment used to illegally mine Bitcoin.

Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said the syndicate bypassed electricity meters, leading to an estimated €14,500 ($16,600) in losses in about a month, according to local media reports. The machines were thought to be generating between €17,200 and €21,500 in monthly revenue.

The case was relatively small by Malaysian standards. Between 2020 and 2025, national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) identified almost 14,000 premises linked to electricity theft for cryptocurrency mining. Its cumulative losses reached around €1.1 billion.

Recorded cases of such theft increased from 610 in 2018 to 2,397 in 2024, according to Malaysia's Energy Ministry, which has described illegal mining as a serious threat to public safety, economic stability, and the national electricity system.

"In Malaysia, thousands of incidents have triggered investigations into illegal mining for cryptocurrency purposes," said Sonny Zulhuda, associate professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia.

"This poses a huge problem for the security of electricity resources, economic sustainability, competition, and revenue loss," Zulhuda told DW. "Enforcement has been lagging behind, due to a lack of legislative preparedness and limited agency capability in enforcement and investigation. This is unfortunate because Malaysia is fast developing its digital infrastructure."

Where crypto mining meets organized crime

Cryptocurrency mining is not inherently criminal, but authorities are increasingly finding links between illegal crypto mining, online gambling, money laundering, and Southeast Asia's industrial-scale cyber scam networks.

Last October, the United States and the UK sanctioned the Cambodia-based Prince Group and associated companies, alleging that the network operated forced-labor scam compounds and laundered proceeds through cryptocurrencies and other assets.

US authorities also seized Bitcoin worth around $15 billion at the time from wallets whose private keys were held by Prince Group chairman Chen Zhi, describing the cryptocurrency as proceeds and instruments of fraud and money laundering.<br>Inside Cambodia's scam industry<br>To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Thailand's Department of Special Investigation has made the clearest connection between stolen electricity and transnational crime.

In 2025, investigators dismantled three major illegal crypto mining networks, seized more than 6,390 machines and estimated losses to the Provincial Electricity Authority at more than €24.9 million.

In one operation, authorities found around 1,900 mining machines at warehouse sites. The electricity authority estimated that the network was consuming power worth around €575,000 each month while paying only a fraction of the amount due.

Indonesia battles crypto mining crimes as well

Indonesia has seen similar cases. In December 2023, police in the province of North Sumatra raided ten sites and seized more than 1,100 Bitcoin-mining machines. State utility PLN estimated losses over six months at around €700,000.

Governments have responded with raids, tougher penalties and cooperation between police, utilities, regulators and anti-corruption agencies. Malaysia has created a multi-agency committee and deployed smart meters at substations to identify abnormal consumption.

But enforcement remains difficult. Equipment can be moved quickly, premises can be rented through intermediaries and meter tampering may involve organized networks or insider assistance.

Saaidal Razalli Azzuhri, a telecommunications expert at the University of Malaya, told DW that raids should be supported by transformer-level monitoring, mandatory licensing, disclosure of companies' beneficial owners, and investigations tracing bank transfers and cryptocurrency wallets.

"The objective should not be to prohibit blockchain technology, but to ensure that miners pay the full economic cost of their electricity and do not transfer their costs and infrastructure risks to...