A criminal organization in Spain has been dismantled by local police following an investigation into the distribution of pirated television signals online.

The group, described as a crime family, was located in the southern Spanish city of Malaga earlier this month. Nine people were arrested on suspicion of distributing live sports channels and other TV networks through the Internet without compensation to rights holders, local police said.

Investigators did not reveal how the crime family was tracked down, but accused the individuals of using modified set-top boxes to steal legitimate TV signals that were illegitimately offered on the Internet. The estimated loss to TV rights holders was estimated to be over €5 million (around U.S. $5.45 million).

The arrests come at a time when Spanish police are cracking down on pirate TV operations in the country, especially those that redistribute live matches from the professional football (soccer) franchise La Liga, without compensation.