Digital
Xapads Launches in The UK With Appointment of James Eppinger as Country Head
Mumbai: Xapads, the leader in advanced programmatic and innovative AdTech solutions, expands its operations into the UK market with the appointment of James Eppinger as Country Head. As Country Head, James will be responsible for building a specialist team to roadmap innovation requirements for local demand, while securing partnerships with technology and supply partners.
On his appointment, Nitin Gupta, CEO of Xapads, says: “It’s fantastic to have James on board as his years of experience and expertise will help us shape our business in the region. As a company, we have always focused our efforts on data and performance-driven AI capabilities and with him in our team, we aim to redefine industry standards and solidify our position as leaders in harnessing cutting-edge technology for market advantage.
James has a history of specializing and driving growth for businesses during pivotal points of development, including a number of local market launches. Most recently, he held the position of Country Head UK & EMEA at Datawrkz and prior to that, Regional Director of EMEA at Connatix, where he continued to make substantial contributions to the field.
Ramneek Chadha, Chief Operating Officer at Xapads further adds : “James’s leadership is expected to be a solid asset in reaching our business goals. He will play a significant role in helping us cultivate strong, positive relationships and maintain our commitment to high-quality service. As we begin to offer our specialized innovations to local markets throughout EMEA, James’s guidance will be valuable”.
Xapads is a fast-growing programmatic ad-tech firm, specializing in cross-device insights and intelligent AI that ensures guaranteed outcomes across the entire user journey.
On joining Xapads, James, Country Head, UK of Xapads, comments: “I’m excited to be part of a team that leads the way in innovation and creativity within the digital advertising sector. I’m eager to mirror Xapads’ success in the region, and to introduce their top-tier market offerings to independent media agencies, brands and partners across the UK and EU. I look forward to contributing to the delivery of impactful solutions that meet our clients’ needs”.
Digital
Global piracy networks evolve into multibillion-dollar crime syndicates
From bootleg DVDs to drug cartels, the new faces of organised crime are hiding in plain sight
LONDON: Gone are the days of the local “dodgy DVD” man at the car boot sale. According to a landmark investigation by Digital Citizens Alliance and IP House, the world of digital piracy has undergone a chilling transformation into a sophisticated, multibillion-dollar ecosystem of organised crime. Far from being a victimless hobby, illicit streaming is now the “financial architecture” for global syndicates involved in everything from human trafficking and narcotics to funding international terrorism.
The joint report, titled “Organized. Piracy. Crime.”, reveals that modern piracy networks have ditched traditional hierarchies for a decentralized, digital-first model that is harder to track than a ghost in the machine. These groups use a “franchise model,” selling turnkey piracy kits, complete with streaming panels and content libraries, to operators worldwide, allowing the “CEOs” of these syndicates to remain anonymous while smaller cells take the heat.
In November 2024, European authorities dismantled a pay-TV network serving 22 million subscribers that generated a staggering $288 million (£230 million) per month. During raids across 11 countries, police seized not just servers and cryptocurrency, but a small army’s worth of drugs and firearms.
The crossover between digital theft and violent crime is no longer a theory. In Brazil, investigators found that piracy has become a “Plan B” for drug traffickers, providing low-risk, high-reward revenue to buy weapons and expand operations.
Operation fake (Spain): Exposed a syndicate combining content theft with property fraud, drug trafficking, and industrial-scale money laundering, resulting in 30 arrests and $12.7 million in frozen assets.
The “Hells Angels” connection: A Canadian investigation linked a piracy operator to members of the Hells Angels, noting he had previously been sentenced for cocaine smuggling.
Terrorist funding: Groups like Hezbollah and D-Company (led by global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim) have historically used piracy proceeds to fund their activities. Al-Manar, a banned terrorist television network, currently uses illegal IPTV services to bypass U.S. broadcast bans.
Perhaps most disturbing is the link to human exploitation. North East Regional Organised Crime Unit detective sergeant James Woodcock stated that “illegal streaming services… help fund wider organised crime such as human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, drug supply and other sinister crimes”.
In Southeast Asia, an estimated 220,000 people are being held in “polycriminal” compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia, forced to run cyber scams and potentially power the very IPTV panels used by Western viewers.
These syndicates have become masters of financial disguise, moving money faster than a 5G connection. Using shell companies, “hawala” informal payment systems, and cryptocurrency “mixing” services, they convert illegal subscriptions into luxury cars, real estate, and jewelry.
A prime example is the U.S. prosecution of IPTV mogul Bill Omar Carrasquillo (known as “Omi in a Hellcat”), whose Gears TV service generated tens of millions of dollars used to fund a lifestyle of luxury vehicles and commercial property.
Despite these networks meeting every international definition of organised crime set by the United Nations and Interpol, the report argues that authorities are currently “bringing a knife to a digital gunfight”.
The authors are urging governments to adopt stricter “site-blocking” laws, already used in over 50 countries, to cut off overseas criminals from domestic markets. As digital piracy generates an estimated $40 billion globally each year, the message is clear: if it operates like the mafia and launders like the mafia, it’s time to treat it like the mafia.
While the public in countries like Brazil and India (over 60 per cent) clearly see the link between piracy and organised crime, recognition in the UK and US remains lower. It seems the biggest hurdle to stopping these syndicates isn’t just technology, but the realization by consumers that their monthly “bargain” stream might be paying for someone else’s misery.
