Five people were arrested on Wednesday in a crackdown on the sale and distribution of fully-loaded illegal TV set-top devices.

In a swoop instiigated by the UK's leading intellectual property protection organisation, FACT, on behalf of the Premier League, Sky, BT Sport and Virgin Media, four men and one woman were arrested at locations across Manchester.

Read more: Could you be in trouble with the law for using Kodi?

They are believed to have made around £250,000 from sales of the fully-loaded boxes across social media and online forums, as well as their own dedicated websites.

Glasgow Times:

These devices are pre-loaded with unlicensed add-ons and apps which then allow users to illegally stream content to their TV such as premium pay-for TV channels, live sport and the latest cinema releases. 

They were taken to local police stations for questioning and have since been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Read more: Could you be in trouble with the law for using Kodi?

As police investigate the sales records of the boxes, it's expected that anyone who purchased a box will be contactd by investigating officers and asked to make a statement. 

The group behind the Kodi media player used by millions to watch movies, TV shows and live sports say they are sick of being linked to piracy.

The problem is that Kodi is just a media player - it carries no content.

However, Kodi has the ability to run third-party plugins that in many instances make infringing content available to the user.

Glasgow Times:

So, when people load Kodi with plugins recommended by a friend and then see the latest movies listed on the page, they believe that Kodi – and the people behind Kodi – are the ones providing them with the movies. They are not.

Read more: Could you be in trouble with the law for using Kodi?

Over the last few years the Kodi media player has grown to become one of the most-used pieces of software through which people can stream, download and otherwise obtain copyrighted content.