[Malaysia Forms Joint Task Force, Seizes Nearly 14,000 Illegal Bitcoin Mining Machines] According to a report by CoinDesk citing Bloomberg, Malaysian authorities have formed a joint task force that utilized high-tech drones and ground police to locate and shut down nearly 14,000 illegal Bitcoin mining machines. Drones hovered over buildings to detect thermal radiation signals, while ground police used sensors to scan areas for illegal electricity usage. Neighbors often reported strange noises, only for the police to discover cryptocurrency mining equipment. Malaysia's national energy company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), recently reported that since 2020, illegal cryptocurrency miners have stolen $1.1 billion from the national power grid. Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, who leads the task force, stated: 'The risks of allowing such activities to occur are no longer just about theft; they could even damage our facilities. This poses a challenge to our system.' It is estimated that the $1.1 billion could meet the basic food needs of over 567,000 Malaysians for an entire year or provide electricity to approximately 373,000 ordinary households in the country for a year. This is not the first time Malaysian authorities have announced a crackdown. In May of this year, it was reported that electricity theft surged by 300% between 2018 and the end of 2024, leading to the shutdown of nearly 2,400 illegal Bitcoin mining sites.