Watch Malaysian Officials Destroy Hundreds Of Mining Rigs With Steamroller

Officials in Malaysia have taken drastic measures to ensure more than a thousand mining rigs won't make their way back onto the market to siphon more energy from the nation's power grid. Local media has published a video of 1,069 mining rigs spread across the ground where they're systematically flattened using a massive steamroller.

Cryptocurrency has grown into a major commodity and, as a result, an increasing number of massive mining rig farms have popped up around the world. These mining farms often involve dozens or hundreds of mining rigs that grind away 24/7 to mine various digital coins, most commonly Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Unfortunately, officials in multiple countries have discovered mining rig setups that illegally tap into electricity sources, pulling huge amounts of energy from the local power grid while racking up vast bills that will never be paid. In some cases, these mining rig farms are discovered after energy usage and heat signals lead law enforcement to suspect the presence of massive marijuana growing operations.

Though mining crypto isn't illegal (in most places), stealing electricity is. That is reportedly an issue Malaysia has faced repeatedly, according to local publication Dayak Daily. The report claims half a dozen police raids were conducted in a joint effort by Sarawak Energy Berhad and Miri police from February to April. A total of 1,069 mining rigs were seized and multiple individuals were arrested over alleged theft of electricity.

It seems now that charges were made and jail sentences were issued, the police had no use for the mining rigs. Rather than storing them or auctioning them off, officials decided to smash all 1,069 of them to pieces using heavy machinery. Though it's painful to see useable hardware go to waste in this way, the dramatic video does serve as a message to others who may consider siphoning energy for their own crypto operations.