In Astana, a verdict was passed on three individuals who, from 2022 to 2024, operated a mining farm under the guise of an engine processing centre.
According to the press service of the AFM, the installation consumed energy comparable to the monthly needs of a residential area of the metropolis.
The value of the illegally obtained digital assets exceeded 143 million tenge. During a search, the following items were seized from the defendants: 1,257 ASIC miners (equipment for mining digital assets), industrial fans, and a transformer substation.
Ultimately, the court found them guilty under Article 214, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Illegal Entrepreneurship") and imposed a penalty in the form of a fine.
Additionally, the convicted individuals' property worth over 900 million tenge was confiscated to the state: Toyota Camry and Nissan Juke cars, as well as mining equipment.
Furthermore, the court recovered from them the amount of criminal proceeds totalling 143.2 million tenge. The verdict has entered into legal force.
It will be recalled that at the beginning of September last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated the need to "deal with" entrepreneurs who are engaged in cryptocurrency mining, consume large amounts of electricity to the detriment of the economy, and do not pay taxes in due amount.
And just 10 days after the President's address, the AFM reported the suppression of illegal miners' activities in the Kostanay region. The offenders consumed a volume of electricity equal to the needs of 3 district centres, 27 secondary schools, or 13 hospitals, which placed a colossal 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 a residential area.
In October, two individuals who organised an underground cryptocurrency mining farm were sentenced in Shymkent. From April 2023 to February 2024, the accused generated an income of over 100 million tenge.
In December, the AFM uncovered the organisation of an illegal mining farm in Temirtau. During searches, law enforcement officers seized 156 units of mining equipment and other component devices.