Mexican authorities discovered a clandestine cryptocurrency mining operation in the municipality of Tlaola, in the Sierra Norte of Puebla, after abnormally high electricity consumption and the constant hum of machines exposed the operation. The Attorney General's Office, the Navy and the Puebla Secretariat of Public Security participated in the joint operation, which resulted in the seizure of 300 graphics processing units, 80 medium voltage terminals and eight satellite internet antennas. The Federal Electricity Commission had filed a complaint for suspected energy theft near a hydroelectric dam in the region, this being the fourth operation of this type detected in the area since the beginning of last year.
The investigation focuses on electricity theft, a practice locally known as energy "huachicoleo," and the possibility that the digital assets generated were used to give a veneer of legality to funds from illicit activities. Francisco Sánchez González, head of the Puebla Secretariat of Public Security, explained that the high energy consumption and noise produced by the equipment force operators to seek isolated locations, which is precisely what raised the suspicions of authorities near the Necaxa dam.
According to data from the company Chainalysis, transactions linked to cryptocurrencies associated with criminal activity more than doubled last year, reaching approximately 154 billion dollars in 2025. Caio Motta, the company's specialist for Latin America, revealed that cartels seek locations with cheap electricity or under the influence of organized crime, where they can steal energy and install large-scale infrastructure without significant operational costs. The specialist warned that the growth in global cryptocurrency adoption should translate into new records of crime associated with this sector in the coming years.
The investigation in Tlaola is expected to expand to other municipalities in the region, with the Puebla Secretariat of Public Security coordinating with neighboring states to locate other facilities with the same profile. Francisco Sánchez González confirmed that the objective is to determine whether there is an organized network behind these operations or if they are isolated initiatives. Similar cases have already been identified in Brazil, the USA, Southeast Asia, including a vast operation in Thailand spanning five provinces, and even in Portugal, where the GNR arrested a man in Bombarral for energy theft to mine cryptocurrencies.
