The network was illegally supplying sports, TV and movie content to 22 million users worldwide
An anti-piracy operation called Operation Kratos has led to the dismantling of an illegal distribution network providing sports, TV and movie content to 22 million users worldwide.
Operation Kratos, which took part last year, brought together law enforcement authorities from EU and non-EU Member States, EU agencies and private digital content companies.
The operation was led by the republic of Bulgaria, the law enforcement authorities of the Republic of Italy and the Republic of Croatia, supported by Europol and Eurojust, in direct cooperation with the Alliance against Audio-Visual Piracy (AAPA).
It succeeded in dismantling one of the largest illegal streaming networks operating in and outside the EU.
The operation uncovered 102 suspects, with 11 arrests being made to date.
The network was found to have distributed more than 2,500 TV channels and reached over 22 million users worldwide without the consent of the copyright holders.
During the operation, over 112 searches and seizures were conducted, at least 29 servers and 270 IPTV devices were seized, as well as 100 domains linked to illegal activities.
As a result of the operation, more than 560 resellers of the pirated service were identified, and drugs and weapons were seized in the searches, and cryptocurrency worth around €1.6 million was confiscated, as well as €40,000 in cash.
The operation involved the participation of 15 countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, with the support of Europol, Eurojust and AAPA being key to the coordination of the action.
UEFA, LaLiga, AAPA, MPA and several other sports leagues and federations took part in the operation and also contributed with information to identify illegal content, identify the source of the signal and take it down.
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