PANews reported on August 19 that according to The Block, Malaysian authorities have arrested seven people suspected of electricity thieves related to Bitcoin mining. Sepang District Police Chief ACP Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof said that these people had no previous criminal records and the authorities aimed to "detect illegal Bitcoin mining activities involving electricity theft." Local police added that they seized 52 Bitcoin mining equipment and other electronic devices with a total value estimated at 250,000 Malaysian ringgit (RM), equivalent to US$57,000.

The enforcement action comes amid a wider crackdown on electricity theft linked to bitcoin miners. Deputy Energy Transformation and Water Transformation Minister Akmal Nasrallah Mohamad Nasir said last month that crypto miners in Malaysia stole at least RM3.4 billion ($777 million) worth of electricity between 2018 and 2023.