Venezuelan authorities just pulled the plug on a massive illegal Bitcoin mining operation, confiscating roughly 4,000 ASIC mining machines in a single coordinated raid. The operation, dubbed “Cazador” (Spanish for “Hunter”), targeted a facility in the San Vicente Industrial Zone of Maracay, in the country’s Aragua state.
The raid, which took place on May 18, came just 11 days after the Venezuelan government reaffirmed a nationwide ban on illegal digital mining on May 7.
Inside Operation Cazador
Authorities didn’t just cart off mining rigs. They also seized industrial cooling and ventilation systems that kept the warehouse-sized operation running.
The facility was estimated to consume between 8 and 10 megawatts of power.
