Agents of the National Police have successfully dismantled an online platform dedicated to the illicit dissemination and distribution of manga in Spanish. This service, operational since 2014, boasted millions of users worldwide and generated profits exceeding 4 million euros, primarily through an advertising system featuring pop-up windows with pornographic content. The operation concluded with the arrest of three individuals in Almería, who are allegedly responsible for a continuous crime against intellectual property.
The investigation began in June 2025, when authorities became aware of the potential existence of an online platform illegally offering access to manga content. Initial inquiries revealed it to be the largest online manga repository in the Spanish-speaking world. It systematically provided free and unauthorized access to a massive volume of works protected by intellectual property rights since 2014. Furthermore, the portal had established itself as the leading reference for manga piracy in Spanish, with millions of monthly accesses and significant international reach, causing severe damage to rights holders, publishers, translators, and the cultural industry as a whole.
The platform's monetization model relied on the constant appearance of pop-up windows every time a user interacted with the website. This system, given the high volume of traffic, generated substantial economic income for the administrators, exceeding 4,000,000 euros exclusively through advertising insertion. Moreover, most of the displayed advertising was pornographic, creating significant social problems, as many users were minors.
During the search of the main investigated individual's home in Almería, agents discovered a complex technological infrastructure dedicated to the platform's maintenance and operation. It was also confirmed that the detainee was developing a new complementary website, whose launch was thwarted by police intervention. Additionally, two USB devices were seized, hidden inside a wall thermometer, containing cryptocurrency cold wallets valued at over 400,000 euros.
The operation has garnered significant international relevance due to the platform's strong presence across the Spanish-speaking market. Its closure has generated a notable economic and reputational impact on the publishing sector, by eroding legal exploitation channels and discouraging investment in content creation, editing, translation, and distribution. The portal's advertising saturation also negatively affected user experience and contributed to the deterioration of the image of the disseminated works. The dismantling of the platform has had a wide impact on social media, reflecting its high penetration and popularity.
