Argentine tax authorities and the Coast Guard smashed a Bitcoin mining machine "smuggling gang"

According to local media reports, Argentine tax officials and naval security officials said they had thwarted a major Bitcoin mining machine "smuggling" gang. The Argentine Coast Guard (The Argentine Naval Prefecture) and the national tax agency AFIP conducted multiple raids as part of a joint "large operation". Police said four people, including two men and two women, were arrested after raids on six homes in two cities. The above agencies confirmed that all four have been formally charged with smuggling and money laundering. Officials said the criminal gang smuggled "hundreds" of "high-end mobile phones, graphics cards and cryptocurrency mining components" into the country and used "crypto investments" to launder money and conceal profits from authorities. Under Argentine law, only companies with licenses can import dedicated cryptocurrency mining equipment. Police also released photos of armed men standing in front of a clothing store, indicating that the gang may have used a small store as a cover, as well as a temporary warehouse to store illegal crypto mining machines. (Cryptonews)