The Kosovo police forces initiated the plan of the authorities of that country to eradicate the mining of Bitcoin (BTC), just as China did. The initiative was justified by the government due to problems with the electricity supply in the country.
In this sense, the authorities reported that they were 272 Bitcoin mining equipment seized, which operated in the town of Trebice, in the north of that country.
The confiscated mining machines are the Bitmain brand, of the Antminer S9 and Antminer S9i models, according to the police in a statement on January 8.
On the same date two more police procedures were carried out, one in the town of Druar de Vushtrri, where 42 graphics cards (GPUs) were confiscated for the production of cryptocurrencies.
While, in the other police operation, 39 graphics cards were seized in the north of Pristina, the capital of the country.
At a facility north of Kosovo, 272 Bitcoin miners, belonging to the Bitmain brand, were seized. Source: Kosovo Police.
It could having extracted ether (ETH), cryptocurrency native to the Ethereum network and others that are normally mined with graphics cards.
Advertising
The Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, applauded the action of the police. “Tens of thousands of euros of taxpayers saved per month equals energy for hundreds of Kosovar families during the crisis,” the official said on Twitter.
Kosovo government warned Bitcoin miners
A few days ago, specifically on January 5, alleging an electricity crisis, Kosovo banned mining from reported CriptoNoticias.
The intention is curb electricity consumption, at a time when they face the worst crisis in recent years, according to Rizvanolli.
Advertising
Kosovo is a country where energy prices are low, which is why many people have decided to get involved in mining cryptocurrencies.
The Kosovo Government’s war against Bitcoin miners became similar to that of the Chinese authorities, one of the leading cryptocurrency ban cases that made the most noise in 2021.
In September of last year, the Central Bank of that nation indicated that all activities related to cryptocurrencies are prohibited and vetoed according to the law.
Besides China, other countries that have completely restricted bitcoin are Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Nepal, Qatar, and Oman.
When energy problems occur in countries, bitcoin becomes the “scapegoat” in many countries. A recent example emerged in Latin America, specifically Argentina.
In that country, a government sector believes that electricity demand, key to the Bitcoin and Ethereum mining industry, has caused power outages in various parts of the country. In this sense, they are analyzing the application of specific rates and establishing investment requirements for better maintenance of the system’s infrastructure.