Malaysia seizes 75,578 crypto mining rigs in electricity theft raids

A deputy home minister told parliament on Wednesday that since 2022, Malaysian police have arrested 629 people and taken back 75,578 crypto mining machines in more than 3,000 raids. The fight against miners who steal power from the national grid is getting tougher.

According to Bernama and The Star, Datuk Seri Dr. Shamsul Anuar Nasarah gave these numbers during Ministry Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of parliament. They are up to date as of May 2026 and include 3,049 raids across the country. The Royal Malaysian Police, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the Energy Commission, and local councils all worked together on the raids.

A lawmaker named Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff asked Shamsul a follow-up question. She pushed the ministry about what she called a lack of prosecutions against miners who steal electricity. He said that law enforcement will now rely more on sharing information and using technology to find high-risk areas before raids. This will allow for what he called a “faster and more precise” response.

Owning crypto is legal, stealing power is not

In Malaysia, people can own and trade crypto, but the government does not recognize it as money. Digital assets are regulated by the Securities Commission Malaysia. Bank Negara Malaysia is the country’s central bank. Its job is to keep the economy stable and enforce laws against money laundering.

The crackdown is meant to stop the theft of electricity that comes with it. Shamsul said that a setup is breaking the law when it uses unauthorized connections, tampered meters, breaks down supply systems, or runs without the right licenses. Since Malaysia doesn’t have a specific law against crypto mining, people who do it are charged under the Electricity Supply Act with bypassing or tampering with meters.

People who want to steal power are drawn to mining rigs. They keep going and pull heavy loads all the time. Shamsul told parliament that operators often tamper with meters to hide how much energy is being used. This drives up utility costs and can make the supply that homes and businesses nearby depend on less stable.

He also talked about claims made before about raids in Manjung, Perak. He said that investigators found no proof that any police officers, agents, or members of the Manjung municipal council were involved in any illegal raids in the area.

Losses top $1 billion

TNB says that between 2018 and 2024, electricity theft related to crypto mining increased by about 300%. The number of cases found increased from 610 to 2,397, as Cryptopolitan reported in November 2025. The power company said that illegal power use by miners at about 14,000 locations between 2020 and August 2025 cost it more than 4.6 billion ringgit, or about $1.1 billion.

This is the same driver that the police have used before, Shamsul said. It’s the need for digital assets and the money that can be made when token prices change. The lawmaker made it clear that gains do not make crimes less serious and that illegal mining is against the law and costs power companies and their customers real money.

Investigators are making lists of properties that might be suspects. TNB has been putting in smart meters that can tell right away if someone is tampering with them or using them in a way that isn’t normal.