The Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Crotone in southern Italy dismantled a piracy operation which served about 2,800 subscribers who paid fees ranging from 10 to 40 euros, depending on the service packages selected.
Aided by two specialist units within the Guardia, investigators identified three IPTV signal centers, known colloquially as ‘pezzotto.’ They were managed by four Italian citizens and were distributing premium audiovisual content offered by Sky, DAZN, NowTV, Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify.
To evade detection, proceeds were reinvested in the legal economy and into virtual currency and insurance policies; which led to charges of money laundering.
The investigators zeroed in on money transfers bearing the wording “IBO PLAYER PRO”, a software app used tor illegal streaming to smartphones, smart TVs and computers.. This led to exposure of an architecture with “head-providers,” resellers and end users. The operation had a customer service department.
The operators face charges of copyright and intellectual property infringement and for the crime of self-laundering. Assets valued at about 650 thousand euros were seized.
Administrative penalties against end users of the service will range from 154 to 5,000 euros.
Why it matters
These law enforcement actions were among the first of this magnitude in the Calabrian territory. They represented the preliminary phase of investigation in this case, which will move to verify the full nature of the situation, the different forms of economic-financial illegality, as in the case of copyright violations, which constitute extremely lucrative illegal activities for criminal organizations and which generate considerable damage to the national economy.
Synergies across regional offices of the Guardia di Finanza made it possible to extend the investigations across Italy, arriving at the exact reconstruction of the entire supply chain that fueled the disjointed illicit system.
Further reading
Against illegal streaming and audiovisual piracy. Press release. June 11, 2026. Giardia di Finanza, Italy
