In an official announcement for the highly acclaimed case of busting a pay-TV “pirate” gang that highlighted yesterday on the main Ska news bulletini, Yiannis Souliotisthe police proceeded.

In particular, the announcement states:

A criminal organization that was active in the illegal provision of pay-TV services was dismantled, after a thorough and thorough investigation by the Patras Security Sub-Directorate.

Yesterday morning, Thursday, September 28, 2023, police officers of the Patras Security Sub-Directorate organized and implemented a coordinated police operation, during which they arrested ten men (nine citizens – one foreigner), including the chief and the deputy chief, in areas of Patras and Attica , the cashier and the dealers.

A criminal case was filed against the defendants for founding and participating in a criminal organization, violations of the laws on intellectual property, on the organization and operation of the Press and Communication Offices and regulations for the wider media sector and the violation of the legislation on prevention and suppression of money laundering.

From the preliminary investigative work of the police officers of the Patras Security Directorate, it emerged that the members of the criminal organization for the past 8 years have been channeling decoders for illegal retransmission of subscription channels to the market, using specialized technical means, illegal software, as well as special decoders.

From the further investigation by the police officers of the Security Directorate of Patras, it emerged that the members of the criminal organization, having established a clientele of 13,000 people in Greece, managed to obtain an illegal financial benefit totaling more than 25,000,000 euros, at the same time causing a financial loss to the beneficiary companies, amounting to 100,000 .000 euros.

In terms of the criminal organization’s modus operandi, the members operated an illegal online platform (portal), in which, depending on the leadership position and role they held, they acted as managers or dealers of the services provided and the relay devices.

To collect the profits, the defendants chose manual collection, collection through digital banks, based abroad, as well as through payments into their own and their family members’ bank accounts.

In addition, in order to have full awareness and control of their clientele, the leading members of the criminal organization for each portal used a special subscriber management program (panel), which they installed on a computer or mobile phone.

In the subscription packages, the members of the organization provided the possibility of accessing a library (videoondemand) with films and television series, without paying the corresponding copyrights to the production and distribution companies.

The members of the criminal organization legalized the income from their criminal acts, through the purchase of real estate, the establishment of individual companies and through betting companies.

In searches carried out in the houses, shops and warehouses, as well as in the vehicles of the members of the criminal organization, the police officers of the Patras Security Directorate found and seized the following:

• -93,500- euros,

• -6,400- British pounds,

• a number of electronic devices IPTV Boxes,

• mobile phones,

• storage disks,

• electronic computers,

• -6- luxury cars,

• -6- motorcycles and

• a number of handwritten notes, in which were written lists of clients, their telephone numbers and addresses, as well as the amounts of money they received from each.

Those arrested will be taken to the competent prosecuting authority.