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Following reports of a whistleblowing by Bell and other media companies, several searches were carried out in Canada this week as part of a money laundering and TV piracy investigation. Known locally as Quebec Hugh Hefner, the alleged owner of a specific IPTV service was previously sentenced in the US after the DEA swapped 10kg of cocaine found on a computer, with another white powder of considerably less value. .
The growing interest in pirated IPTV services in recent years has led to a limited number of people meeting the demand while earning considerable sums of money.
Technical ability, insider knowledge, and a keen eye for business help pirate IPTV providers maximize profits, but there can also be considerable drawbacks. The problem isn't making a lot of money, it's keeping it when law enforcement agencies take an interest.
Pirate IPTV / Money Laundering Investigation
Published this week, a report by La Presse notes that, as part of an investigation into IPTV piracy and money laundering, Canadian investigators from the Sรปretรฉ du Quรฉbec (SQ - Quebec Provincial Police) targeted รric Grenier, identified for the publication as director of companies. behind the streaming service, Arubox.TV.
Citing police sources, La Presse reports that the investigation began after a group of telecommunications companies led by Bell Canada filed a complaint with the police alleging millions of dollars worth of damage to their businesses, attributable to the Arubox IPTV service.
In response, the Office for the Recovery of Criminal Assets and Money Laundering carried out five searches this week, including one of Grenier's condominium in Laval, another against an alleged accomplice in Saint-Eustache and a third against a relative of Grenier in Brownsburg-Chatham.
While the investigation continues, police sources report that freezing orders will be sought against Grenier's bank accounts and condominium, valued at nearly $500,000.
At the time of writing, the main Arubox TV website it remains online, but the status of the underlying IPTV service is less clear. A Stalker login portal associated with Arubox appears functional, but since logins are verified using device MAC addresses and valid subscriptions, it was not possible to check the status of the service immediately.
When they sign up, Arubox subscribers receive a URL to place on their decoders to access the service. That URL can be found on a completely separate domain which we are informed may have links to another IPTV service. A source familiar with the situation says the operator of the second service has connections to the first. A review of messages related to the second service indicates that its operator also received a visit from police this week, in connection with the Grenier investigation.
รric Grenier: controversial and mediatic
As part of its own investigation, La Presse recently tracked Grenier's Facebook account and discovered who has been promoting Arubox.tv since at least 2020. The image below tends to suggest that he is a fan of Formuler set-top boxes, widely considered to be one of the best IPTV devices available, even if the Z8 model is a bit outdated.
This social media image represents just the tip of a massive media iceberg that has kept Grenier in the public eye for years.
Known locally as the 'Quebec Hugh Hefner' due to his ties to the adult industry, Grenier's ownership of a strip club, and appearances at a Canadian reality series sit alongside claims in the media, citing law enforcement sources, of alleged connections to a Hells Angels motorcycle club.
All of these pale into insignificance in the light of a story. published in the Montreal Gazette in 2014. It features a computer containing 10kg of a highly illegal substance, US Drug Enforcement Administration, 10kg of a less expensive replacement substance, and an alleged loss to Grenier of $500K.
There were no set-top boxes involved back then, but nobody wants to go too fast, too soon.
