Take a peek inside this underground crypto mining farm in Ukraine with its 3,800 PlayStation and 5,000 computers

• Ukrainian police seized around 9,000 game consoles and computers from an illegal crypto mine last week.

• The mine was stealing up to $ 259,300 worth of electricity each month, investigators said.

• Police said it was the largest underground crypto mine to be discovered in Ukraine.

• See more stories on the Insider business page.

A huge underground cryptocurrency mining operation was dismantled by Ukrainian police for allegedly stealing electricity from the grid.

Police said they seized 5,000 computers and 3,800 game consoles that were being used in the illegal mine, the largest find in the country.

The mine, in the town of Vinnytsia, near Kiev, has stolen up to $ 259,300 worth of electricity each month, Ukraine’s Security Service said. To cover up the theft, mine operators used electricity meters that did not reflect their actual energy consumption, officials said.

“Such illegal activity could lead to power surges and deprive people of electricity,” the security service said.

Police said criminal charges had been initiated for theft of water, electricity and thermal energy. The mine was operated by residents of Kiev and Vinnytsia, a town about three hours from the capital, police said.

Photos released by state investigators show a cavernous room filled from wall to wall with metal racks of carefully lined up computers and Sony Playstation consoles.

Along with computers and consoles, officials said they also seized more than 500 graphics cards, 50 processors and documentation on the site’s power consumption. They also took away laptops, phones and USB drives, according to the press release.

Read the original article on Business Insider