{"id":428174,"date":"2026-05-23T17:30:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/turning-stolen-power-into-digital-money-crypto-news\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T18:23:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:53:47","slug":"turning-stolen-power-into-digital-money-crypto-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/turning-stolen-power-into-digital-money-crypto-news\/","title":{"rendered":"turning stolen power into digital money &#8211; Crypto News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"magazine-post-box__preferred-source\"> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"cs-preferred-google-badge cs-preferred-google-badge--post-meta\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=cryptoslate.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" aria-label=\"Make CryptoSlate preferred on Google (opens in a new tab)\" title=\"Make CryptoSlate preferred on Google (opens in a new tab)\"> <span class=\"cs-preferred-google-badge__text\">Make<\/span> <span class=\"cs-preferred-google-badge__brand\" aria-hidden=\"true\"> <noscript><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload cs-preferred-google-badge__brand-mark\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cryptoslate-2020\/imgresize\/timthumb.php?src=https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cryptoslate-2020\/images\/cryptoslate-icon.jpg&#038;w=26&#038;h=26&#038;q=75\" alt=\"CryptoSlate logo\" width=\"26\" height=\"26\" decoding=\"async\"\/> <span class=\"cs-preferred-google-badge__brand-name\">CryptoSlate<\/span> <\/span> <span class=\"cs-preferred-google-badge__text\">preferred on<\/span> <noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"cs-preferred-google-badge__google-wordmark\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cryptoslate-2020\/images\/google-logo.svg\" alt=\"Google logo\" width=\"48\" height=\"16\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload cs-preferred-google-badge__google-wordmark\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cryptoslate-2020\/images\/google-logo.svg\" alt=\"Google logo\" width=\"48\" height=\"16\" decoding=\"async\"\/> <\/a><\/div>\n<p>Rio de Janeiro Civil Police launched an operation targeting a Comando Vermelho operational nucleus and found a crypto mining setup with roughly 30 computers arranged on shelves in a room on an apparently abandoned lot.<\/p>\n<p>The farm drew power from a clandestine electrical connection running directly from a utility pole. The machines carried high-capacity fans and exhaust systems, including remote-monitoring hardware.<\/p>\n<p>As G1 <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/g1.globo.com\/rj\/rio-de-janeiro\/noticia\/2026\/05\/22\/policia-civil-faz-operacao-contra-o-comando-vermelho-no-complexo-do-lins.ghtml\">reported<\/a>, police are investigating whether the faction used the structure for money movement or laundering.<\/p>\n<p>The physical configuration already describes the possibility that a criminal organization with territorial control can convert stolen electricity into portable digital value.<\/p>\n<p>Territorial control provides access to space and utilities, a clandestine electricity connection eliminates the primary operating cost, and the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/mining\/\">mining<\/a> output converts directly into portable value.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_537877\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-537877\" style=\"width: 1362px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-537877 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb.jpg\" alt=\"Stolen power becomes portable value for crypto crime\" width=\"1362\" height=\"658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb.jpg 1362w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb-1024x495.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb-768x371.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1362px) 100vw, 1362px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-537877 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb.jpg\" alt=\"Stolen power becomes portable value for crypto crime\" width=\"1362\" height=\"658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb.jpg 1362w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb-1024x495.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brave_TNt5Pvwxvb-768x371.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1362px) 100vw, 1362px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-537877\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An infographic maps the four-step model allegedly used in Rio&#8217;s Complexo do Lins: controlled territory, stolen electricity, mining hardware and portable digital value output.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stolen electricity is the load-bearing element of that model, since mining only makes economic sense when electricity is cheap, subsidized, or free.<\/p>\n<p>Cambridge&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/coins\/bitcoin\/\">Bitcoin<\/a> Electricity Consumption Index methodology <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ccaf.io\/cbnsi\/cbeci\/methodology\">identifies electricity<\/a> as one of mining&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/bitcoin-miners-sold-5359-btc-as-winter-power-costs-bite-and-their-7-4-billion-treasury-starts-shrinking-fast\/\">highest operating costs<\/a>. Brazil&#8217;s electricity regulator, ANEEL, reported that energy theft and other non-technical losses cost the country roughly <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.br\/aneel\/pt-br\/assuntos\/noticias\/2025\/relatorio-traz-niveis-de-perdas-tecnicas-e-nao-tecnicas-em-2024-no-sistema-de-distribuicao-de-energia\">$2 billion in 2024<\/a>, with Rio de Janeiro among the states recording the highest levels of power theft.<\/p>\n<p>At 1.5 kilowatts per machine, 30 computers would draw about 45 kilowatts, consuming about 32,400 kilowatt-hours per month. At $0.20 per kilowatt-hour, that is $6,400 in avoided monthly electricity costs, a real operating advantage delivered without payment.<\/p>\n<p>The unknowns are the hardware type, the coin mined, the hash rate, and whether the crypto was ever cashed out. Stolen electricity removes one of mining&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/bitcoin-mining-profitability-crisis-hits-as-difficulty-to-drop-by-14-this-weekend-while-block-time-spikes-to-20-minutes\/\">highest variable costs<\/a> regardless of those unknowns.<\/p>\n<h2>Comando Vermelho&#8217;s infrastructure evolution<\/h2>\n<p>The UK Home Office <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/brazil-country-policy-and-information-notes\/country-policy-and-information-note-organised-criminal-groups-brazil-march-2025-accessible\">identifies<\/a> Comando Vermelho as one of Brazil&#8217;s two largest organized criminal groups alongside PCC, with territorial reach across urban favelas, border areas, and the Amazon.<\/p>\n<p>The organization originated in Rio&#8217;s prison system in the late 1970s, expanding into international cocaine trafficking and control of working-class neighborhoods where armed groups often manage basic services, including gas, internet, and transportation.<\/p>\n<p>AP <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/d44641e6fd9009638d35c8032dc7ebc3\">reported in 2025<\/a> that Rio police accused Comando Vermelho of coercing over 300 motorcycle drivers into using a clandestine ride-hailing app in Vila Kennedy, generating up to $200,000 per month, with revenue allegedly funneled through shell companies to finance drug trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>On May 4, local news Folha <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www1.folha.uol.com.br\/internacional\/en\/world\/2026\/05\/illegal-mining-intensifies-in-peru-as-comando-vermelho-operates-in-border-areas-with-brazil.shtml\">reported<\/a> that CV had intensified its presence in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/legal\/\">illegal<\/a> gold mining near Brazil&#8217;s border with Peru, treating gold as a profitable and stable alternative to cocaine and using the activity for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/investments\/\">investment<\/a> and money laundering.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Activity<\/th>\n<th>Controlled resource<\/th>\n<th>Revenue logic<\/th>\n<th>Why it matters<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Drug trafficking<\/td>\n<td>Territory, armed control, routes<\/td>\n<td>Traditional illicit commodity flow<\/td>\n<td>Core historical business<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Clandestine ride-hailing app<\/td>\n<td>Local transport networks<\/td>\n<td>Fees from coerced drivers \/ shell-company flows<\/td>\n<td>Shows control over urban services<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Illegal gold mining<\/td>\n<td>Land, extraction zones, cross-border access<\/td>\n<td>Gold as investment and laundering vehicle<\/td>\n<td>Shows move into commodities<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Crypto mining setup<\/td>\n<td>Space, stolen electricity, hardware<\/td>\n<td>Converts unpaid power into digital value<\/td>\n<td>Shows possible move into crypto production<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Each activity monetizes territory and controlled resources as a standalone revenue line, with transaction flows that run outside the cash-and-drugs channels investigators have historically targeted.<\/p>\n<p>The Rio findings also sharpen the current picture of crypto crime in Brazil.<\/p>\n<p>Folha reported on May 9 that Brazil&#8217;s Federal Police seized <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www1.folha.uol.com.br\/mercado\/2026\/05\/apreensao-de-cripto-pela-pf-dispara-mas-uso-criminoso-ja-supera-bilhoes.shtml\">$14 million in crypto in 2025<\/a>, with seized assets appearing across drug trafficking, money laundering, human rights violations, environmental crimes, and online fraud.<\/p>\n<p>On May 12, a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.br\/mj\/pt-br\/assuntos\/noticias\/policia-federal-deflagra-operacao-nacional-contra-trafico-faccoes-e-lavagem-de-dinheiro-em-16-estados\">national operation<\/a> spanning 16 states deployed 165 search-and-seizure warrants and 71 arrest warrants focused on drug trafficking, criminal factions, and money laundering.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cs-inline-newsletter-6a1187a3c0f9a\" class=\"cs-inline-newsletter\" data-inline-newsletter=\"\">\n<div class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__inner\">\n<div class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__content\"> <span class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__eyebrow\">CryptoSlate Daily Brief<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__title\">Daily signals, zero noise.<\/h3>\n<p class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__copy\">Market-moving headlines and context delivered every morning in one tight read.<\/p>\n<p> <span><i class=\"fa-regular fa-bolt\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/> 5-minute digest<\/span> <span><i class=\"fa-regular fa-star\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/> 100k+ readers<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__form-shell\">\n<p class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__privacy\">Free. No spam. Unsubscribe any time.<\/p>\n<p> <i class=\"fa-regular fa-circle-xmark\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/> <span>Whoops, looks like there was a problem. Please try again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <i class=\"fa-regular fa-circle-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/> <span>You\u2019re subscribed. Welcome aboard.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/companies\/chainalysis\/\">Chainalysis&#8217;<\/a> 2026 Crypto Crime Report <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chainalysis.com\/reports\/crypto-crime-2026\/\">described<\/a> the illicit on-chain landscape as having built large-scale infrastructure to help transnational criminal networks procure goods and launder crypto.<\/p>\n<p>A Malaysian comparison provides the stolen power model with global context, as reports have noted that Malaysia&#8217;s national utility, Tenaga Nasional, lost more than $1 billion to illegal power use by crypto miners between 2020 and August 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Malaysian authorities responded with raids, smart meters, and databases of suspicious premises.<\/p>\n<h2>Where the grid trail leads<\/h2>\n<p>In the bull case, police link the setup to faction finances, locate wallet addresses or remote operators connected to CV leadership, and the case becomes the first documented example of a major Brazilian criminal faction running crypto production as a formal revenue line.<\/p>\n<p>The investigative perimeter would then need to expand to include hardware procurement, power theft, cooling equipment, and utility access.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Scenario<\/th>\n<th>What investigators find<\/th>\n<th>What it would mean<\/th>\n<th>Story implication<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Bull case<\/td>\n<td>Wallets, remote operators or financial links tied to CV leadership<\/td>\n<td>Crypto mining becomes part of faction finance<\/td>\n<td>Major Brazilian faction may be using crypto production as a revenue line<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Base case<\/td>\n<td>Local operators used CV-controlled territory but with weak central links<\/td>\n<td>Territorial control enabled the setup indirectly<\/td>\n<td>Still shows how gang territory can shelter crypto infrastructure<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bear case<\/td>\n<td>Independent operators, no faction wallet trail, limited revenue<\/td>\n<td>Opportunistic power theft, not faction strategy<\/td>\n<td>Story becomes a local energy-theft case<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Black-swan case<\/td>\n<td>Multiple farms, coordinated hardware purchases, exchange accounts or cross-border cash-out<\/td>\n<td>Replicable criminal mining infrastructure<\/td>\n<td>Police may need to monitor grids as closely as blockchains<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>In the bear case, investigators identify independent operators who opportunistically used a CV-controlled area, find no faction wallet trail, and the setup generates too little revenue to function as a viable operation.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators seize the machines, operators face energy-theft charges, and the case closes as a local footnote.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-537890 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic.jpg\" alt=\"Comic illustration of stolen power being converted into crypto value through illegal Bitcoin mining.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter wp-image-537890 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic.jpg\" alt=\"Comic illustration of stolen power being converted into crypto value through illegal Bitcoin mining.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stolen-power-comic-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The configuration of clandestine power, remote monitoring, an abandoned lot, and a controlled neighborhood serves as a replicable model for anyone with access to a gang-controlled grid.<\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/bitcoin-hashprice-sinks-to-2-year-low-as-ai-pivots-split-miners\/\">power line<\/a> shows that organized crime can build crypto-production infrastructure from territorial control, stolen electricity, and off-the-shelf hardware, forcing investigators to watch the grid as closely as they watch the blockchain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Make CryptoSlate preferred on Rio de Janeiro Civil Police launched an operation targeting a Comando Vermelho operational nucleus and found a crypto mining setup with roughly 30 computers arranged on shelves in a room on an apparently abandoned lot. The farm drew power from a clandestine electrical connection running directly from a utility pole. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[230,225,221,227,226,228,229,60,223,224,222],"class_list":["post-428174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency","tag-brave","tag-coinbase","tag-crypto","tag-decentralised","tag-decentralized","tag-decentralized-exchange","tag-erc-20","tag-featured","tag-meme-coin","tag-robinhood","tag-solana"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428174"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":428185,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428174\/revisions\/428185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}