In Gironde, the police dismantle an international TV platform piracy network

In recent months, 14 people have been arrested in France and abroad. They are subject to prosecution for counterfeiting or even money laundering in an organized gang. The case arose following a complaint filed by the Canal + group, whose anti-piracy service had noted that the group’s channels were offered on clandestine platforms

Police officers from the Organized and Specialized Crime Division (DCOS) first investigated an equipment supplier residing in Landes. The investigations carried out under the authority of the public prosecutor’s office of the Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction (Jirs) of Bordeaux, then led them to Aude, Hérault but also to Gironde where a reseller of pirated boxes and subscriptions is said to have pocketed more than 340,000 euros in five years.

Seizure of real estate

The sprawling investigation required painstaking work to get back to the intermediaries and principals. An Algerian in his thirties, owner of the site offering the illegal IPTV offer, was at the head of the network. He never directly received the funds from this activity but went through intermediaries or made the resellers pay the costs linked to the hosting of the data with the server suppliers. He relied on trusted men, all from his hometown in the Maghreb, but domiciled in France or with family ties there. These intermediaries were responsible for both finding other resellers and administering the panels.

The investigations resulted in the seizure of several hundred thousand euros and real estate

The investigations resulted in the seizure of several hundred thousand euros and real estate. An association supposed to help the most deprived in Algeria had even been created but it was an empty shell intended to receive funds.

Two “money launderers” have been identified in Belgium and Algeria. They used the bank accounts of members of their family living in France.

Prosecutions for the user

“The attraction is significant for the user since he benefits from access to thousands of television channels, dozens of films or series for only a hundred euros per year,” confides a police officer. Especially during the World Cup. But the disappointment is often great when tens of thousands of simultaneous connections are made on undersized servers that do not allow optimal viewing of a sporting event where it is often a ball or a frozen player who serves as the target.”