How often do people get arrested or fined for downloading illegally?

Question

Is it possible or plausible for police to effectively find and prosecute pirates?

Answer 1

Police are about as likely to arrest downloaders as they are to arrest jaywalkers in NYC. The laws are on the books but like a lot of laws there just aren't any practical ways to enforce them. There are exceptions though, like child pornography. Cops do make an effort to catch those degenerates.

Answer 2

The bill payer gets a notice from your ISP to stop doing it.

The notice might go further saying they monitored your actions to the list of sites. The notice can include a fine.

Depending on where you live they might involve the police.

It all depends.