Kazakh Authorities Arrest 23 Suspected of Forcing IT Professional to Run an Illegal Crypto Mine: Report

The country is still grappling with the illegal crypto mining industry.

AccessTimeIconAug 9, 2022 at 10:43 a.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 4:58 p.m. UTC
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Authorities in Kazakhstan arrested 23 people suspected of forcing an IT professional to run an illegal crypto mine, according to a report on an information platform supervised by the Ministry of the Interior.

  • During searches of illegal mining farms, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kazakhstan's national security service found seven people thought to be members of the gang and a 36-year-old IT professional who was forced to organize the work of the mining farms, the report said.
  • Kazakhstan has been trying to root out illicit crypto mining, which draws a lot of electricity from its crumbling grid, while coming up with regulations and taxation to organize the legal industry.
  • Another three suspected gang members were arrested as authorities searched for illegally stored weapons, the report said.
  • The group was made up of former convicts and "criminally oriented persons" with a history of violent crimes, including debt collection and extortion, according to the report.
  • It was making $300,000-$500,000 a month from illicit crypto mining in the Talgar district of the Almaty region, the report said.
  • Authorities also seized 6,000 items of crypto mining equipment, worth about $7 million, along with an AK-47 assault rifle, ammunition and pistols.

UPDATE (Aug. 9, 2022, 11:13 UTC): Adds "Report" at end of headline.


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Eliza Gkritsi

Eliza Gkritsi is a CoinDesk contributor focused on the intersection of crypto and AI.


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