They didn't seize the miners because the miners are bad on their own. this isn't like drugs. the miners aren't banned here. They seized them because they were

They didn't seize the miners because the miners are bad on their own. this isn't like drugs. the miners aren't banned here. They seized them because they were used in other crime, ie, stealing electricity. They could have recouped some of the cost of that stolen electricity by selling them to an outfit that actually pays for electricity.