Paraguay Shuts Down 2,700 Illegal Bitcoin Miners in Largest Operation Yet

In a significant move against illegal bitcoin mining, Paraguayan authorities took action on May 28 in Saltos de Guaira. The operation, led by the Paraguayan National Power Administration (ANDE) and local prosecutors, targeted and shut down a massive bitcoin mining farm housing 2,738 miners. The farm had been illicitly drawing power from the electric grid, bypassing the connection to the electric meter, effectively evading detection by ANDE. Alongside the miners, authorities seized five electric transformers with a combined capacity of 7,150 kilo-volt-amperes.
The detection of this illegal operation was made possible through various techniques, including the use of supervisory and control systems (SCADA) and artificial intelligence (AI) software to monitor unusual load current peaks.