November 28, (THEWILL) – An international law enforcement operation has shut down a piracy streaming network that serves over 22 million users worldwide.
Dubbed “Operation Takendown”, the operation was spearheaded by the Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office, with the support of 270 postal police officers who conducted 89 searches across 15 Italian regions.
The crackdown extended beyond Italy’s borders, with law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, and Croatia, carrying out 14 additional searches. Croatian authorities took things a step further, placing 11 suspects in custody as part of the operation.
At the heart of “Operation Takendown” was a coordinated effort involving Eurojust and Europol, two major European judicial bodies. They were supported by Italy’s Postal Police Service for Cyber Security and the anti-mafia investigative directorate (DIA). A specialised operational network known as @on, funded by the European Commission, also played a crucial role.
The authorities seized over 2,500 illegal channels and servers that were responsible for distributing pirated content. These systems handled the majority of illegal signals across Europe, which included live sports broadcasts, movies, and television.
The criminal organisation also used different methods to hide its activity, including encrypted messaging applications. The criminals used false identities and ID documents to register mobile accounts, obtain credit cards, rent servers, and sign up for TV subscriptions.
While Italian police confiscated €1.6 million in cryptocurrencies and €40,000 in cash, it claimed the business was unlawfully making €250 million ($264 million US) monthly. Beyond the staggering revenue generated, the network posed serious threats to legal broadcasters and content creators, undermining the audio-visual industry across Europe.
Suspects are likely to face charges related to copyright infringement, computer fraud, unauthorised access to computer systems and possession of access codes.
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