In December 2009, the botnet was shut down by a group of volunteers calling itself the Mariposa Working Group. Three months later, three men were arrested by Spanish authorities for their connection with Mariposa.
However, operating a botnet does not constitute a crime in Spain. Says Corrons:
The police have to prove that they stole information and then used that information to get money. This may take years, and the police have said: 'We think they're not going to jail.' It's really frustrating for us and them.
It is believed that Mariposa poisoned 12.7 million PCs in 190 countries.