Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has seized an additional 42 so-called mining devices in the Svaneti region. Law enforcement operations targeting alleged illegal energy consumption and unlicensed crypto-related activity are ongoing, said Levan Jorjoliani, the Head of the Government Administration.

He stated that police activities in the region are being carried out intensively and called on local residents to fully cooperate with the Ministry of Internal Affairs in identifying illegal business operations. He noted that electricity consumption in Mestia, a municipality in Svaneti, has reached approximately 133 million kWh, a figure he described as incompatible with the scale of the area.

“Such consumption should not exceed 7–10 million kWh, and the significant discrepancy has prompted large-scale police operations. The investigations have identified crypto mining equipment as the primary source of the unusually high electricity usage and the government’s goal is to fully remove such equipment from the region,” he added.