Here from Paraguay, a more detailed response.

The National Electricity Administration (ANDE) is the authority that holds a monopoly over the generation, management, production, and distribution of electricity in the country. In the case of crypto mining, since several mining companies have set up operations across Paraguay, ANDE offers high-voltage power services for two main reasons: it's more energy-efficient and ensures safer consumption. ANDE actually considers mining a great and clean business opportunity.

Now, in this specific case, it's exactly what we want to eliminate from Paraguay. These individuals were bypassing the metering system, meaning they were consuming electricity without it being properly recorded. On top of that, they had an illegal connection before the official ANDE meter, allowing them to use power without paying for it, since it never passed through the meter.

That’s theft and fraud, no matter how you look at it.

Cases like these are unfortunately common in Paraguay. People go into debt to buy mining equipment, then set up illegal power connections to gain more profit rapidly. As a result, those of us who advocate for Bitcoin and responsible mining end up taking the blame in the media because of people like this.