But apparently in Libya the costs are a little less – at least until you get caught:
Libyan authorities have detained 50 Chinese nationals in a raid of a crypto-mining operation in the west of the country, the prosecution in Tripoli said Thursday. …
Prosecutors said in a statement that Interior Ministry agents were searching a farm in Zliten, 160 kilometers (99 miles) east of the capital and found “minors [sic] exploiting significant material capacity to generate virtual currencies with the help of 50 Chinese nationals.” [AL-Monitor]
And …
On Wednesday, prosecutors said police had dismantled another illegal crypto-mining operation in the port city of Misrata, adding it was operated by 10 Chinese nationals.
Which is a bit odd, given official disapproval of cryptocurrencies by China. Are the involved Chinese operating without official sanction?
It reminds me of when normal currencies were being forged by criminals.