Five people are arrested on suspicion of selling Kodi TV
Five people are arrested on suspicion of selling Kodi TV streaming boxes 'fully loaded' with apps to give access to illegal pirate services.
Four men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of selling Kodi boxes, which have been set up to illegally stream subscription sports matches, films and TV for free.
The 'fully loaded' devices were taken at the homes of the suspects in Bolton, Bootle, Manchester and Cheadle, in the latest swoop in a major nationwide crackdown.
The suspects, aged between 33 and 60, were arrested in early morning raids.
A warrant was also issued for a property in Rhyl, north Wales, but no one was arrested.
The suspects have made £250,000 from the sales of the boxes, according to police.
They were taken to police stations for questioning and have been released on bail.
Greater Manchester Police, Merseyside Police and City of London Police joined forces with investigators for the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) to carry out the arrests.
Similar combined raids are planned for other parts of the country, but specific locations cannot be disclosed at this stage.
Kieron Sharp, Director General of FACT, said: 'Today's day of action should send out a clear warning to anyone involved in the sale and distribution of illegal set-top boxes that law enforcement and industry take this matter very seriously.
'Set-top boxes loaded with apps and add-ons allowing access to copyright infringing material are very much illegal and anyone involved in selling these boxes should not be surprised to receive a knock on the door.'
FACT has no estimate of how many UK residents own the Kodi software.
Jo Johnson, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, said: 'Profiting from illegal streaming is completely unacceptable. The UK's creative industries are a national asset that must be protected.
'Today's efforts have shown that partnership works. I wish to congratulate FACT and the police for ending these criminal operations.'
This isn't the first time that someone has been arrested for selling 'fully loaded' Kodi boxes.
Terry O'Reilly, 53, was handed a four-year sentence in December 2016.
He is believed to have made more than £1million by selling more than 1,000 of the streaming boxes to pubs.
They were used to stream Premier League matches for free.
Will O'Leary, who worked with O'Reilly, was given a two-year suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty.
Brian Thompson, 54, is being prosecuted by Middlesborough Council on suspicion of selling Kodi boxes from his shop Cut Price Tomo TVs.
He will stand trial in May.
What is Kodi TV?
Kodi is a free service that streams apps and on-demand services onto your TV.
The software, which is legal, can even be downloaded onto an Amazon Fire stick.
Blank boxes can be bought from most major retailers for as little as £20, with the software uploaded afterwards.
Users can play BBC iPlayer, Youtube, Soundcloud and other free catch-up apps on the device.
But many of the plug-ins the box offers are illegal.
Be wary if the box is pre-loaded to include subscription sport, TV and movies for free.
Commonly the 'fully loaded' boxes let users watch Premier League games or Sky Movies without paying a subscription fee.
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