Authorities seized about 300 specialized computers at a remote Puebla site while investigating electricity theft and possible laundering of illicit funds.
TLAOLA, MEXICO— Mexican authorities are investigating a clandestine cryptocurrency mining operation found in the mountains of Puebla state, where hundreds of specialized computers allegedly drew large amounts of electricity from infrastructure linked to a nearby hydroelectric system. Investigators are examining possible electricity theft and whether digital assets generated at the site were used to disguise proceeds connected to criminal activity.
The operation has drawn attention to the growing use of cryptocurrency in investigations involving organized crime in Mexico. Federal and state authorities have not publicly identified a cartel as the operator of the Tlaola facility, and Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office declined to provide Reuters with details because the investigation remains active. Security analysts say the equipment, electricity needs and technical expertise required for an operation of this size could indicate financial backing from a well-funded organization, but investigators have not established publicly who controlled the site.
The Puebla state government said the property was secured in a joint operation involving the federal Attorney General’s Office, the Mexican Navy and the state’s Public Security Secretariat. Authorities found about 300 specialized computing units, a pedestal transformer, roughly 80 medium-voltage terminals and eight satellite internet antennas. The equipment was operating when authorities inspected the property, according to the state government. The building and equipment were placed under government control while investigators examine their origin, operation and possible connection to illegal activity.
Officials are also investigating how the facility obtained the large amount of power needed to run and cool the computers. Puebla Public Security Secretary Francisco Sánchez said authorities had been monitoring suspected activity in the Sierra Norte region because of its proximity to the Nuevo Necaxa hydroelectric system. He said the operation’s heavy electricity consumption and persistent mechanical noise helped draw attention to the remote location. Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission is participating in the investigation into possible power theft.
Cryptocurrency mining itself is not prohibited in Mexico. The process uses powerful computers to perform calculations that help validate transactions on certain blockchain networks and can reward operators with digital assets. The concern in Puebla centers on whether electricity was taken illegally and whether cryptocurrency produced at the site was later used to make money from illicit activity appear legitimate. The Puebla government said investigators are specifically analyzing whether virtual assets generated by the equipment could have been connected to criminal proceeds.
The Tlaola site is not the first suspected clandestine mining operation found in the area. Reuters reported that three similar cryptocurrency farms were discovered near a hydroelectric facility in northern Puebla last year, making the latest site the fourth found in the region since early 2025. Local authorities have said they are working with neighboring states to determine whether additional operations exist. No arrests were announced in the initial reports on the Tlaola raid.
The remote terrain may help explain why such an operation could function away from public attention. The Sierra Norte is marked by forested mountains and scattered communities. Two residents of nearby communities told Reuters that the mechanical noise from the mining equipment could be heard about a kilometer away. The operation itself was roughly twice that distance from the nearest village, according to the news agency. Large cryptocurrency mines require substantial power not only for computing equipment but also for systems used to prevent the machines from overheating.
That energy demand can make stolen electricity especially valuable to illegal operators. Reuters reported that the University of Cambridge’s Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index estimated the cost of producing one bitcoin at nearly $45,000 under prevailing conditions, with electricity representing a major expense. Samuel Leon, an energy theft expert at Mexico’s Iberoamericana University, told Reuters that an operation using stolen electricity could effectively eliminate its main operating cost. Authorities have not disclosed how much electricity the Puebla site consumed or the value of any cryptocurrency it may have produced.
The investigation comes as authorities and financial analysts track a broader rise in criminal activity involving digital assets. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimated that cryptocurrency addresses associated with illicit activity received about $154 billion globally in 2025, up from $59 billion the year before. The firm attributed much of the increase to sanctions-related activity rather than drug trafficking alone. Caio Motta, a Chainalysis specialist in Latin America, told Reuters that some criminal organizations in the region are increasingly using cryptocurrency transfers and mining operations as part of money-laundering activity.
Mexican investigators have not disclosed the identity of the Tlaola site’s owners, the amount or type of cryptocurrency generated there, or whether they have traced digital assets from the equipment to a specific criminal organization. The property and seized equipment remain under official control while federal and state authorities continue investigating suspected electricity theft, the source and destination of any generated assets and possible links to other clandestine operations.
Author note: Last updated September 13, 2026.