Two men were arrested as part of an £800,000 illegal streaming investigation after police raids in Hertfordshire, Essex and Scotland.

Properties in Waltham Cross, Chigwell, Harlow and Lanarkshire led to the suspects, aged 33 and 35, being arrested on suspicion of fraud, money laundering, and intellectual property offences.

The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) probe relates to a Telegram channel selling unauthorised access to Sky TV packages, which are believed to have been re-sold to thousands of end users.

Those involved are thought to have gained more than £800,000, with financial investigators seizing £17,000 in cash, custom streaming devices and numerous digital devices.

Watford Observer: Cash and illegal streaming equipment were seized during the raids.Cash and illegal streaming equipment were seized during the raids. (Image: ERSOU)

The men, who were cuffed at an address in Harlow, were also arrested on suspicion of firearms licence breaches, after two shotguns were found.

Detective Inspector Steve Payne said: “Yesterday’s arrests form part of an investigation into a sophisticated large-scale criminal operation which has generated significant sums of money through the illicit sale of TV subscription packages.

“We know from experience that the money generated through illegal means such as this often goes on to fund wider organised criminality, which is why it’s key to apprehend those involved.”

He continued: “We have also gained access to the details of those purchasing the streams, and I would remind anyone doing so that they will be breaking the law and could ultimately be subject to criminal proceedings.”

Matt Hibbert, Sky’s director of anti-piracy in the UK and ROI, praised the ERSOU probe, adding it will have “a significant impact on the illicit sale of Sky TV.

“We’ll continue to support efforts to shut down the organised networks involved in the large-scale theft of our content, and to protect consumers from the risks involved in accessing content in this way,” he added.

Illegal streaming services are increasingly operated by sophisticated criminal networks, often involved in other types of crime including cyber-crime. Using illegal streams can give criminals your personal information from which they can steal your money or your identity and increases the risk of devices being infected with viruses and malware.