Bulgaria’s largest piracy websites taken down after operation by Europol, GDBOP, U.S. Agencies

The three largest piracy websites in Bulgaria - Zamunda, Arena, and Zelka, were taken down in an international operation involving Europol, GDBOP, U.S. agencies, the State Agency "National Security" (DANS), investigators and the Prosecutor's office. There are four people detained in connection with the case, confirmed Bulgaria's resigning Interior Minister Daniel Mitov. However, he declined to disclose exactly what the arrested individuals had been involved in.

Messages displayed on the three websites indicate that the reason for their shutdown is a court order issued in the United States.

“This domain has been seized by Homeland Security Investigations as part of an international law inforcement operation in accordance with a court order issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi,” reads the text of the banner that appears when attempting to access any of the three platforms.

The sites operated as torrent trackers and offered a wide range of content, including films, music, games, software. Some time ago, the Bulgarian authorities stated that “pre-trial proceedings had been initiated” against the platforms in question for “intellectual property crimes and tax offenses.”

“When there is political will, there are results as well. A very complex and well-coordinated international operation was carried out,” Mitov said today at a briefing in Dimitrovgrad.