Moroccan Hackers Face Trial for Global Canal+ Piracy Ring, Risking Heavy Sentences

Under a warrant of arrest issued following a complaint from Canal+, the accused were arrested upon arrival at Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, coming from Saudi Arabia. Known in national hacking circles, "they were placed in pre-trial detention in the Bourkaiz prison, following a decision by the Fès public prosecutor’s office," says Assabah.

Several items, including two laptops, phones, ten bank cards, and foreign currency bills, were seized during their arrest. The two defendants are accused of audiovisual piracy and infringement of the intellectual property of the French channel Canal+. They are also being prosecuted for fraud, fraudulent access to an automated data processing system, and the use of falsified computer documents.

About two years ago, the main defendant had created an e-commerce website specialized in the illegal resale of television channel packages. With his accomplice, he would have "then resold these pirated packages to a clientele spread over several continents, offering subscriptions at 40 or 50 euros, while the official price of an annual Canal+ subscription is around 150 dollars," specifies the daily newspaper.

The main defendant is no stranger to this. Five years ago, he had launched an online sales platform, before switching to the piracy of television content.