KEY POINTS
  • The mine was stealing thousands of pounds worth of electricity from the mains supply, police said.
  • Police searched the unit on May 18 on the back of intelligence that led them to believe it was being used as a cannabis farm.
  • These are all "classic signs" of a cannabis farm, police said. However, officers found a bank of around 100 computers and zero cannabis on entering the building.
Bitcoin mine uncovered during Black Country industrial unit raid.

LONDON — Police in the United Kingdom say they inadvertently discovered an illegal bitcoin mine while looking for a cannabis farm.

The mine — located in an industrial unit on the outskirts of the English city of Birmingham — was stealing thousands of pounds worth of electricity from the power grid, West Midlands Police said Thursday.