Georgian police have seized an additional 17 cryptocurrency mining devices in Mestia as part of an investigation into the alleged illegal use of electricity, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) says.
The ministry reported that a total of 212 so-called mining devices have been seized over the past three days.
Law enforcement officials claim the devices were being used to generate digital currency through the unlawful consumption of large amounts of electricity.
“With the help of the aforementioned devices, locals systematically generated digital currency and received illegal income by illegally and unlawfully consuming a large amount of electricity,” the MIA stated.
The investigation is underway under Article 229, Part 2, Subsection “b” of Georgia’s Criminal Code. The offense is punishable by up to three years in prison.
The issue was highlighted last week by Mamuka Mdinaradze, Vice Prime Minister of the ruling Georgian Dream party. He announced measures aimed at eliminating unmetered electricity consumption in Mestia.
Mdinaradze claimed that illegal cryptocurrency mining in the municipality has led to frequent overloading of power lines and has caused significant damage to Georgia’s energy system, as well as affecting local residents and businesses.
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