Egyptian authorities close down MENA’s largest piracy site

Egyptian authorities, in collaboration with anti-piracy coalition Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), have closed down Laroza, the largest piracy site in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

According to ACE, the operation included 26 police officers and six local investigators, resulting in the arrest of two operators.

Launched in 2021, Laroza comprised 25 domains that collectively logged more than 52 million monthly visits in the past six months.

ACE said the site provided illegal access to a content library of approximately 29,000 movies and TV series and that, although based in Egypt, the infringed content was viewed all over the world, including the United States and Europe.

The two operators were arrested during police raids in the Egyptian governorates of Asyut and Dalkhalia. Among the evidence collected during the raids was more than $81,000 in cash. Financial records indicated transactions totaling over $515,000 and $90,000 in cryptocurrency from various sources.

It is the seventh piracy shutdown in MENA carried out by ACE and Egyptian law enforcement over the past two years, including the January 2024 takedown of Cima4U, the region’s then-largest illegal piracy ring.

“This action—and those over the past two years—could not have been possible without the valuable collaboration of the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior and the diligence and hard work of the Egyptian authorities,” said Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association (MPA). “The Laroza takedown represents a victory for intellectual property rights and creators around the world.”

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