GUA MUSANG: The police on Tuesday (Nov 3) disposed of 208 Bitcoin mining machines and 210 boxes of smuggled cigarettes seized in enforcement operations.
Gua Musang police chief Supt Sik Choon Foo said the cigarettes, seized between 2021 and 2023, were estimated to be worth RM1.8mil.
He said the exhibits involved four investigation papers for which investigations and court proceedings had been completed, with offences investigated under Sections 379 and 427 of the Penal Code and Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
"Following the completion of court proceedings, the Deputy Public Prosecutor directed that the exhibits be disposed of by licensed agents registered with the Environment Department.
"The duty-unpaid cigarettes will be buried at the Gua Musang District Council's waste disposal centre, while the Bitcoin mining machines will be handed over to a licensed e-waste management company," he told reporters here Tuesday.
Sik said the Bitcoin mining machines were seized in operations conducted with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), which uncovered electicity theft for mining activities in several residential areas, including Bandar Utama. The syndicates had used vacant buildings as mining sites.
He said machines seized in separate operations last year remained under investigation and could not yet be disposed of.
Police would continue monitoring illegal Bitcoin mining activities, which not only damage TNB assets but also cause government revenue losses through electricity theft, he added. - Bernama
