Spain's busted manga pirates: €467K in crypto hidden in thermometer, minors exposed to adult ads

The Spanish National Police have dismantled an online manga piracy platform, which authorities describe as the largest such platform in the Spanish-speaking world.

The site has offered access to copyright-protected manga novels since 2014 and attracts millions of visitors each month.

Allegedly, the platform generated more than €4 million in revenue, primarily through aggressive pop-up ads that redirected visitors to adult content. This raised additional concerns as many of the site’s visitors were minors.

The investigation began in June 2025 after authorities were alerted to a piracy operation. After initial investigations, the police discovered that it was the largest repository of Spanish-language online manga, facilitating free, unauthorized access to massive volumes of copyright-protected works.

As part of an enforcement operation, the Spanish National Police raided a suspect’s house in Almería. During the search, police officers stumbled upon a “complex technological framework” which was used to run the piracy platform.

In addition, investigators discovered two USB devices hidden inside a wall thermometer containing cold cryptocurrency wallets worth more than €400,000.

Police said they also disrupted plans for a complementary website the suspects were preparing to launch, preventing an expansion of the operation.

In total, three suspects have been arrested. They have been brought before the authorities on allegations of ongoing intellectual property crimes. Details about what roles the suspects played were not shared.

Police said the platform had become a dominant source of pirated manga in Spanish, causing significant damage to publishers, translators, and rights holders across the cultural sector.

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