TechFlow News, March 4: According to Criptonoticias, Catalan police in Spain seized an illegal Bitcoin mining operation in Sant Vicenç de Castellet, near Barcelona, on March 4. The operation was connected illegally to the high-voltage power grid. Spanish utility Endesa estimated that the electricity fraud involved amounted to €860,643—the highest such figure recorded in the region’s industrial sector over the past year.
Police discovered 88 ASIC mining rigs inside the industrial building. These devices were directly connected to the power grid via a three-phase system—without meters or protective systems. Investigators noted that this type of unauthorized “tapping” poses a serious fire hazard due to potential overloads and also threatens stable power supply to neighboring businesses.
A 34-year-old man, identified as the suspect, appeared before the Manresa Court on March 3. The judicial proceedings currently focus solely on charges of electricity fraud. Authorities are conducting forensic analysis of the seized equipment to determine the full scope of its operational activity.
