Spanish police say they have shut down TuMangaOnline, widely known as ZonaTMO, which they describe as the largest illegal Spanish-language online manga platform, operating for more than a decade and attracting millions of users worldwide.
Three people were arrested in the southern province of Almería in connection with the site, Spain’s National Police said. The platform had provided free, unauthorised access to a large volume of manga titles since 2014.
Manga, Japanese comic books and graphic novels, are a major part of Japan’s publishing industry and have an expanding global readership.
Authorities estimate the site generated more than 4 million euros (about $4.3 million) in revenue through aggressive advertising, mainly pop-up ads for pornography. Police said this raised concerns due to its large base of young users.
The National Police described it as “the largest online illicit distribution platform for manga in Spanish”, with a “strong presence across the entire Spanish-speaking market”.
They added that its long-running operation caused significant financial damage to publishers, translators and other rights holders by undermining legal distribution channels.
The three suspects face charges of continuous intellectual property crimes, police said.
Manga stories cover a wide range of genres, including fantasy adventures, historical dramas and science fiction.
