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Mexican Authorities Uncover Crypto Farm Suspected of Money Laundering
Saturday, 12 September 2026, 15:19
A loud mechanical hum and unusual electricity use led investigators into remote mountains, where the equipment raised far more questions than expected.
In a mountainous area of the Mexican state of Puebla, law enforcement officers discovered an illegal cryptocurrency mining farm that may have been used to launder criminal proceeds. The facility was operating in a remote location near a hydroelectric power plant and was reportedly drawing electricity from infrastructure connected to it.
The farm was found near a little-used dirt road in the Sierra Norte mountains. Authorities became suspicious after noticing a loud mechanical noise and unusually high levels of electricity consumption for the small communities in the area.
During the inspection, law enforcement officers found equipment needed for cryptocurrency mining:
- 300 graphics processing units;
- 80 medium-voltage terminals;
- eight satellite antennas.
Cryptocurrency mining involves using powerful computers to solve complex mathematical problems and create new digital assets, including <a href="https://xpertsstudio.com/strategy-ceo-says-banks-pushed-firm-to-sell-<a href="https://xpertsstudio.com/zcash-hits-9-year-high-as-mining-profitability-tops-bitcoin-4x-per-mwh/” title=”Zcash Hits 9-Year High As Mining Profitability Tops Bitcoin 4X Per MWh”>bitcoin/” title=”Strategy CEO Says Banks Pushed Firm To Sell Bitcoin”>bitcoin. The operation was relatively small by international industrial standards, but it was already the fourth cryptocurrency farm discovered in the area since the beginning of last year.
It appears that drug cartels have reached a new level of organization. Setting up such an operation requires technical expertise and the backing of a well-funded group, which could be one of Mexico’s most influential cartels.
Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office declined to comment, explaining that the investigation was ongoing.
Crypto mining and electricity theft
Electricity is the largest expense in cryptocurrency mining. At the same time, rising electricity prices and the increased computing power required to create new coins have made the business significantly more expensive.
According to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, mining a single bitcoin costs nearly $45,000. At the current price of around $78,000, it can still generate substantial profits.
Mexican investigators are examining whether the cryptocurrency farm may have been illegally obtaining electricity from the nearby hydroelectric power plant.
If the electricity was stolen, the operation’s main expenses were effectively zero.
Energy analyst Samuel Leon works at the Ibero-American University in Mexico. He said that access to cheap or illegally obtained electricity could make crypto mining an attractive tool for criminal groups.
According to analytics firm Chainalysis, the volume of illicit cryptocurrency activity worldwide more than doubled in 2025. Addresses linked to criminal activity received an estimated $154 billion in digital assets, compared with $59 billion the previous year. A significant portion of the increase is attributed to transactions designed to circumvent international sanctions.
Latin American cartels are increasingly using cryptocurrency transfers and mining operations to conceal the origins of their funds. Caio Mota, a Chainalysis specialist on Latin America, said criminal groups are looking for places with cheap electricity or areas where they can control energy infrastructure with impunity.
Remote mountains as cover for the farm
The forested slopes and scattered settlements of the Sierra Norte provided favorable conditions for concealing the equipment. According to two residents of nearby communities who feared possible reprisals and asked not to be named, the noise from the farm could be heard from about one kilometer away. The building itself was located approximately two kilometers from the nearest village.
Last year, three other similar facilities were discovered in the area around a hydroelectric power plant in northern Puebla. Local authorities are working with neighboring states to determine whether other hidden cryptocurrency farms exist in remote mountainous areas.
Similar raids have already been conducted in Brazil, the United States, and countries across Southeast Asia. In Thailand, law enforcement uncovered a large bitcoin-mining operation spanning five provinces.
Law enforcement agencies are much better equipped to combat organized crime that uses cryptocurrencies.
At the same time, the growing use of digital currencies is likely to contribute to a further increase in related crimes. The Mexican case shows that crypto mining can be not only a financial scheme but also part of a broader infrastructure used by criminal organizations to launder illicit proceeds.
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- Dubai-registered crypto exchange Shelbit processed at least $4 billion in digital assets and is under investigation over alleged Iranian sanctions evasion and money laundering.
Source: mezha.net