From 2022 to May 2026, Malaysian authorities conducted over 3,000 raids across the country, seizing more than 75,000 Bitcoin mining devices. These operations resulted from coordinated efforts by the police, the national energy company Tenaga Nasional Berhad, and local administrations. During the campaign, 629 individuals were arrested.
The scale of seizures is impressive: on average, about 1,500 miners were confiscated each month during this period. This indicates not just random violations but a systemic problem—organized illegal mining that damages the country's energy system.
It is important to understand the legal context. In Malaysia, owning and trading cryptocurrencies is legal, but mining automatically becomes illegal if it involves electricity theft, tampering with meters, disrupting the integrity of power grids, or lacking mandatory licenses. These violations are typically the reason for the raids.
In my estimation, the actual number of illegal miners in the country could be significantly higher than the 75,000 seized. The energy intensity of such operations places enormous strain on infrastructure, and authorities are likely to continue tightening controls. For legal miners, this is a signal: strict compliance with regulatory requirements is essential, otherwise the risks of equipment loss and criminal prosecution are too high.