Venezuelan Bitcoin Miners Bribed and Thrown in Jail by Secret Police

[jamie.redman1]

Over the past few months, officials in Venezuela have been cracking down on underground Bitcoin mining operations within the country. According to various reports, Venezuela’s secret police has been coercing Bitcoin miners for bribes or they would otherwise be thrown into jail if they don’t pay the extortion.

This past November, two brothers from Caracas operating a Bitcoin mining operation were raided by the country’s secret police (Sebin). According to the brothers’ reports, officers ordered them to pay $1,000 for every mining machine they owned. The brothers, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that they had paid the police to keep mining. Nevertheless, miners in Venezuela are being caught more often because the state’s power corporation is finding mining operations consuming 20 times the electricity used in a traditional home.

Read More Here: https://news.bitcoin.com/venezuelan-bit ... et-police/