Two people have been arrested and servers seized from a UK data center as part of an investigation into an illegal streaming service.

The City of London Police this week said detectives from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) executed search warrants at two residential addresses in Oldbury and a data center in Cheltenham during the early hours of July 3, 2025.

Seven servers used to distribute the infringing content and illegal access to Sky channels, were seized from the unnamed data center. PIPCU says it believed that the capture of the servers has caused “major disruption” to a number of pirate services.

Police arrested a 30-year-old man, who they suspect ran the illegal streaming service, and a 32-year-old woman on suspicion of distributing material infringing copyright and receiving criminal property. A business premises in West Bromwich was also searched later during the day, with documents and computers seized for further examination.

The PIPCU said it is thought the pair received “significant profits” from the service, though they have since been released under investigation.

Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, said: “This activity should serve as a reminder that PIPCU will pursue criminals who seek to profit from illegal streaming and disrupt their operations. This is a crime that diverts funds away from the creative and entertainment industries, money that supports thousands of technical and support staff. At the same time, it exposes end users to the risks of data theft, fraud, and malware.”

The data center in question wasn’t named. Safehost operates a facility at Saxon House in Cheltenham, though others, including Blynx, offer services from the site.

Matt Hibbert, group director of anti-piracy at Sky, added: “We are extremely grateful to the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit for taking this action against a significant pirate operation. We will continue to work alongside the police and industry partners to tackle piracy and disrupt the criminal networks behind it. This action helps to keep consumers safe from the serious risks that piracy can pose to devices and personal property.”

The PIPCU previously raided a data center in the west of England last year as part of another investigation into an illegal streaming service. In 2023, Dutch police took down a similar pirate IPTV operation in Den Helder, the Netherlands.

While not common, police raids on data centers are generally focused on piracy, cybercrime, or illegal darkweb activities.