In a groundbreaking international law enforcement effort dubbed Operation “Taken Down,” authorities have successfully dismantled one of the world’s largest illegal streaming networks. The operation, spearheaded by Italy’s Postal and Cybersecurity Police, targeted a sophisticated criminal enterprise serving 22 million users globally.

The network generated monthly revenues of €250 million ($263M) and caused an estimated annual damage of €10 billion ($10.5B) to legitimate streaming services, including Sky, Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.

The extensive operation involved coordinated raids across eight countries, with 89 searches conducted in Italy alone. Law enforcement agencies executed searches in the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, and China, resulting in 11 arrests in Croatia. The investigation implicated 102 individuals in total.

Technical assets seized included 2,500 illegal channels, nine servers in Romania and Hong Kong, and 80 streaming control panels. Authorities also confiscated €1.65 million in cryptocurrency and €40,000 in cash.

The criminal organization employed sophisticated methods, including encrypted communications, fake identities, and forged documents to maintain their operations. Perpetrators face charges of illegal streaming, unauthorized system access, computer fraud, and money laundering.

This operation marks the largest anti-piracy enforcement action in both Italian and international law enforcement history, dealing a significant blow to global digital piracy networks.