[REVISION HISTORY]

Illegal cryptocurrency mining in Puebla, Mexico

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-13 18:50 UTC → 2026-09-14 02:36 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Mexican authorities, including the Navy, the Attorney General's Office, and Puebla state police, dismantled a large-scale clandestine cryptocurrency mining operation in the Sierra Norte mountains near the Tlaola municipality. The facility was identified following reports of unusual mechanical noise and an electrical load that exceeded local community needs. Updated inventories from the Secretariat of Public Security and Citizen Protection have significantly increased the reported scale of the seizure. While initial estimates suggested 300 graphics processing units (GPUs), officials have now confirmed the seizure of 1,032 specialized computing devices. Additional equipment seized includes 95 switches, five transformers, three satellite antennas, and one microwave antenna. The Federal Electricity Commission has filed a complaint regarding suspected electricity theft, as investigators believe the site was illegally drawing power from the Nuevo Necaxa hydroelectric system. Authorities are investigating whether the operation is linked to organized crime groups, such as drug cartels, and used for laundering illicit proceeds through digital assets. Puebla’s Public Security Secretary, Francisco Sánchez González, has called for an investigation into potential negligence or complicity by local municipal authorities in Tlaola. This incident marks the fourth such discovery near local hydroelectric infrastructure since early 2025, suggesting a recurring pattern of sophisticated criminal activity in the region.

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