Cryptocurrency mine an unexpected find for Sandwell police
A police raid on a suspected cannabis farm turned up a much more unusual discovery than anticipated.
Officers from West Midlands Police executed a drug warrant on an industrial unit at Great Bridge Industrial Estate in Sandwell on the back of intelligence suggesting it was being used as a cannabis farm.
The force said the intelligence showed people visiting the unit at different times of day, lots of wiring and ventilation ducts were visible, and a police drone picked up a considerable heat source from above.
After forcing entry to the premises on Tuesday, May 18, officers instead found a huge bank of around 100 computer units as part of what’s understood to be a bitcoin mining operation.
The IT equipment was seized and enquiries with Western Power revealed the electric supply had been bypassed and thousands of pounds worth had been stolen to power the ‘mine’.
Sandwell Police Sergeant Jennifer Griffin said: "It’s certainly not what we were expecting.
"It had all the hallmarks of a cannabis cultivation set-up and I believe it’s only the second such crypto-mine we’ve encountered in the West Midlands.
"My understanding is that mining for cryptocurrency is not itself illegal but clearly abstracting electricity from the mains supply to power it is.
"We’ve seized the equipment and will be looking into permanently seizing it under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
"No-one was at the unit at the time of the warrant and no arrests have been made, but we’ll be making enquiries with the unit’s owner."
The warrant was one of almost 50 executed as part of County Lines Intensification Week, from May 17 to 23.
The week of action led to 84 arrests, significant drug seizures and the recovery of weapons including a sawn-off shotgun and a blank firing pistol converted to discharge live rounds.
Bitcoin mining is the process by which new bitcoins are entered into circulation, bitcoin being a form of crypto- or digital currency.
