Thailand’s Crypto Crackdown: Inside the Seizure of 63 Illegal Mining Rigs and a $327,000 Electricity Theft Scandal
Introduction: A Hidden Crypto Operation Exposed in Pathum Thani
On March 28, 2025, Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) descended on three abandoned houses in Pathum Thani province, uncovering a covert cryptocurrency mining operation that had been siphoning electricity from the national grid. As detailed in a March 29 report by The Nation, authorities seized 63 illegal mining rigs valued at 2 million baht ($60,000 USD), marking a significant strike against illicit crypto activities in the region. These rigs had cost the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) over 11 million baht ($327,000 USD) in stolen power, revealing the scale of this underground enterprise.
For the people of Pathum Thani — a province just 46 kilometers north of Bangkok — this bust was personal. Months of erratic power supply, skyrocketing communal electricity costs, and sightings of strangers tampering with utility infrastructure had fueled local unease. The raid not only validated their concerns but also peeled back the layers of a high-tech crime that blends cutting-edge hardware with old-fashioned theft, offering a glimpse into the challenges facing Thailand’s energy and regulatory systems.
The Catalyst: Locals Sound the Alarm
The CIB’s intervention stemmed from grassroots vigilance. Residents of Pathum Thani had grown wary of mysterious figures rigging crude connections to utility poles and transformers, bypassing legal metering. By early 2025, these intrusions had tangible effects: power surges frying appliances, transformers humming at 110–120% capacity (per MEA field reports), and unexplained spikes in neighborhood electricity bills. Suspecting that abandoned properties were being repurposed as crypto mining hubs — a process notorious for guzzling kilowatts — locals demanded action.
Their suspicions hit the mark. The raid revealed a setup that had consumed an estimated 2.63 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, calculated at Thailand’s commercial rate of 4.18 baht per kWh (MEA Q1 2025 tariff). This theft could have powered 80,000 Thai households for a day, based on an average daily consumption of 32.76 kWh per household (MEA 2024 data). For a community already stretched by rising living costs, this was a betrayal of public resources, amplifying the urgency of the CIB’s response.
The Power Hunger: Dissecting Crypto Mining’s Appetite
Cryptocurrency mining thrives on computational muscle, and these 63 rigs were no exception. Likely comprising ASIC units like the Bitmain Antminer S19 Pro (110 terahashes per second, 3,250 watts) or similar models, each rig could devour 78 kWh daily if run continuously. Collectively, the operation demanded 4,914 kWh per day — equivalent to the output of a small solar farm. Over an estimated six-month span (October 2024–March 2025, based on local complaint timelines), this aligns with the 2.63 million kWh stolen, costing the MEA $327,000 at a March 2025 exchange rate of 33.5 baht per USD.
