The Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) investigated a criminal case regarding the illegal mining of digital assets in Astana, without the appropriate licence.
According to the agency's press service, the suspects organised the operation of a mining farm in Astana under the guise of an engine processing centre, consuming energy comparable to the monthly needs of a residential area.
The value of the digital assets mined over two years exceeded 143 million tenge.
During the pre-trial investigation, FMA officers seized nearly 1,300 units of mining equipment (ASICs), industrial fans, and a transformer substation.
Furthermore, the investigation established non-payment for electrical energy amounting to 25.3 million tenge.
It is noted that this year, in the sphere of illegal digital asset circulation, 7 sentences have been handed down, and law enforcement officers have seized criminally obtained assets worth over 1.2 billion tenge.
Recall that in early September, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated the need to "deal with" entrepreneurs who engage in cryptocurrency mining, consume large amounts of electricity to the detriment of the economy, and do not pay taxes in the required amount.
And just 10 days after the President's address, the FMA reported the suppression of illegal miners' activities in the Kostanay region. The perpetrators consumed a volume of electricity equal to the needs of 3 district centres, 27 secondary schools, or 13 hospitals, placing a colossal strain on local power grids.