Source: Cointelegraph
Original: (Paraguay expels three illegal immigrants for attempting to steal cryptocurrency mining equipment)
Paraguayan law enforcement has expelled three individuals and arrested another for attempting to steal mining machines from a cryptocurrency mining site near the Itaipu hydropower plant in the country.
According to a statement released by Paraguayan prosecutor Irene Rolón on May 15, these men were quickly apprehended by the police shortly after they broke into the locked area of Teratech SA company facilities in the Coronel Bogado region, and were subsequently arrested.
The prosecutor believes that these men may have been linked to Teratech as independent contractors, but are still waiting for formal confirmation from the company's CEO.
The three expelled individuals are citizens from China, namely Jinping Duan, Tian Jianyun, and Zheng Guanglong, who have no official entry records. Paraguayan authorities and Interpol believe that these three entered the country illegally through Brazil or Bolivia.
Another arrested individual, Nahun María Velázquez Garcete, is a legal resident of Paraguay but is suspected to be part of a criminal organization. He is accused of aggravated theft and is currently in pre-trial detention.
Shortly after the arrest, the individual was sent to the hospital due to a critical condition, but specific details about the injuries have not been disclosed.
Paraguayan officials believe that there are other individuals involved in this attempted theft, and efforts are currently underway to confirm their identities. Therefore, the case is still under investigation.
Rolón believes that these illegal immigrants have been residing in Paraguay for several months and have been working as programmers. However, it remains unclear whether their work was for the company.
Paraguayan officials are awaiting a report from the CEO of Teratech to determine his exact relationship with the three men.
Paraguay is considered an ideal location for cryptocurrency mining due to its abundant renewable energy resources, most of which are underutilized.
The Itaipu hydropower plant has become a popular site for miners to establish bases, as it meets all of Paraguay's local electricity needs and has a large surplus of power available for use.
Related: Report: Coinbase fires bribery-accused customer service staff in India