Gokil, Napi Nambang Bitcoin In Venezuelan Prison!

Bitcoin mining is carried out in prisons in Venezuela. (Photo; Doc. Bitcoin Exchange Guide)

JAKARTA - Venezuelan authorities carried out a massive raid at the Tocoron National Penitentiary Center in Aragua state on September 21. In this operation, about 11,000 troops and joint police attempted to take over the location from Aragua's Train, one of the gangs controlling the prison complex.

During this raid, the authorities found an unusual number of items found in prisons, including an undisclosed Bitcoin mining machine.

The BTC mining machine operates in a room that functions as a mining facility. In addition to the findings of mining rigs, authorities also found a variety of weapons of war, including rocket launchers, grenades, rifles, ammunition, and even C4 mines.

Other surprising findings in the form of a number of facilities that shouldn't be in prisons such as swimming pools, discotheques used for inmates' parties, baseball stadiums, and even emergency zoos were found in the compound. Journalist Rosible Gonzalez also reported the existence of bicycles, ice cream sellers, restaurants, and kindergarten sellers in prisons that should have been known for their safety.

In response to this, authorities plan to move more than 1,600 inmates to other national correctional centers, then the Tocoron National Penitentiary Center will be closed.

Fate Of Bitcoin Miners Legal

While Bitcoin mining activities in Tocoron prisons have been revealed to the public, Venezuelan registered and legal Bitcoin miners are still facing major challenges. Suncrip, Venezuela's cryptocurrency watchdog, has been experiencing disruptions since more than six months ago due to national government intervention.

Juan Blanco Bracamonte, a former Bitcoin miner who was forced to leave his activities, questioned the existence of a Bitcoin mining center in prison. He asked important questions, including who allowed this mining facility, who managed it, and where the flow of funds generated from this mining activity went.

The former head of Suncrip, Joselit Ramirez, has been arrested for allegedly being involved in a corruption scheme worth more than $20 billion involving selling oil with cryptocurrencies to avoid economic sanctions. Since then, the registered cryptocurrency fields have been decided from the power grid by the state's power company, Corpoelec.

Alejandro Blanco, an adviser to Asonacrip, a national cryptocurrency association, expressed concern that miners who have complied with the law are currently in grave danger due to this action.