International Law Enforcement Shuts Down a Major Piracy Video Website with Monthly Revenue of €250 Million (Approx. $270 Million USD)

It turns out we may have underestimated the profitability of piracy video websites. Recently, international law enforcement announced the successful shutdown of a piracy video website that boasted over 22 million users worldwide, generating monthly revenues of up to €250 million (approximately $270 million USD).

The specific name of the piracy website was not disclosed by the international law enforcement agencies. However, to dismantle the piracy ring thoroughly, law enforcement carried out numerous raids in several countries, arresting multiple suspects involved in the operation.

The Italian Postal and Communications Police led the enforcement action, mobilizing over 270 officers and cooperating with foreign law enforcement agencies, including the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), Europol, and law enforcement agencies from various countries.

In Italy alone, law enforcement conducted 89 raids across 15 regions. Additionally, 14 searches were carried out in the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, and China, resulting in the arrest of 102 suspects.

For instance, Croatian police successfully apprehended 11 suspects. In the UK and the Netherlands, 3 IT administrators were arrested, taking control of 80 IPTV channel servers managed by suspects across Italy.

Operated by a highly organized transnational group, the piracy website illegally acquired and resold copyrighted content, offering live streaming, on-demand services, and pay-per-view options.

The copyright holders affected include several television stations, Sky, Dazn, Mediaset, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+, and Paramount, among other major streaming services.

The operation seized 2,500 illegal channels and their servers, including 9 servers located in Romania and Hong Kong; €1.65 million in cryptocurrency and €40,000 in cash were also confiscated.

Legal proceedings are underway against the suspects, with charges including illegal broadcasting of audiovisual content via IPTV, unauthorized system access, computer fraud, and money laundering.