Police in the Akmola Region have uncovered illegal mining equipment belonging to a follower of a destructive religious movement in the Tselinograd District.
According to the press service of the department, the mining farm was discovered by officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' counter-extremism units and the Akmola Region Police Department.
During the search, operatives seized more than 200 mining units, 27 mining rigs, mobile phones, a laptop, and religious literature. A criminal case has been opened regarding this incident, and investigative measures are underway.
It is worth recalling that in early September last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated the need to "deal with" entrepreneurs engaged in cryptocurrency mining, who consume large amounts of electricity to the detriment of the economy and do not pay adequate taxes.
And just 10 days after the presidential address, the AFM reported the suppression of illegal miners in the Kostanay Region. The perpetrators consumed an amount of electricity equivalent to the needs of three district centres, 27 secondary schools, or 13 hospitals, placing an enormous strain on the local power grids.
Later, AFM officers completed an investigation into the organisation of a mining farm in Astana disguised as an engine processing centre. It was reported that the enterprise consumed energy comparable to the monthly needs of one residential district.
In October, two individuals who organised an underground cryptocurrency mining farm in Shymkent were sentenced. Between April 2023 and February 2024, the defendants generated income exceeding 100 million tenge.
In December, the AFM uncovered the organisation of an illegal mining farm in Karaganda. During searches, law enforcement officers seized 156 units of mining equipment and other component devices.
In April of this year, a sentence was handed down in Astana to three individuals who, from 2022 to 2024, organised a mining farm disguised as an engine processing centre. It was reported that the installation consumed energy comparable to the monthly needs of one residential district of the metropolis.