Spanish Police Dismantle Largest Spanish-Language Manga Piracy Platform

In a recent development, the Spanish police have successfully dismantled what is believed to be the largest Spanish-language manga piracy platform. This platform has been in operation since 2014 and has been catering to millions of monthly users worldwide.

Manga, a term originating from Japan, refers to comics and graphic novels that are widely popular both in Japan and around the globe.

The piracy platform, which remains unnamed in the police announcement, provided free access to copyrighted works and generated revenue through advertisements on the site.

The authorities, following an investigation launched in June 2025, revealed that the platform amassed over $4,700,000 in advertising revenue primarily through aggressive pop-up ads. Concerningly, a significant portion of these ads were of a pornographic nature, raising alarms as many visitors to the site were minors.

These intrusive pop-ups appeared to users with every action they took on the platform, including selecting content, reading descriptions, or browsing catalogs, ensuring maximum exposure to advertisements.

Recent reports suggest that the Spanish-language manga platform Tu Manga Online (TMO) was forced offline due to legal pressures, including actions taken by Korean intellectual property rights holders.

Although not explicitly named, the platform described by the Spanish police aligns with the characteristics of TMO as outlined in the recent announcement.

“Since 2014, the platform had been systematically offering unauthorized access to a vast collection of copyrighted works,” stated the police announcement.

“It had established itself as a prominent hub for Spanish-language manga piracy, attracting millions of monthly visitors and garnering significant international attention, causing substantial harm to rights holders, publishers, translators, and the cultural industry at large.”

During the enforcement operation, the police conducted a raid at a suspect’s residence in Almeria, Spain, uncovering a sophisticated technological infrastructure supporting the platform’s operations.

The suspect was also found to be in the process of developing a secondary website, possibly as a backup or relocation strategy in case of disruptions, which was thwarted by the raid.

Seized during the raid were two USB devices concealed within a wall thermometer, containing cryptocurrency wallets holding over $470,000 in digital assets.

Furthermore, three additional arrests were made in connection with the same law enforcement action, although specific details regarding their roles were not disclosed.

The Spanish authorities emphasized the international ramifications of the operation, highlighting the significant financial and reputational damage inflicted upon publishers and the broader cultural industry.