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Biggest UK DVD Pirate Ring Busted
SecurityProNews
Staff Writer
2006-04-07
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British authorities have broken up what they say is the largest film pirating operation ever uncovered in the UK. On Wednesday, a coalition of police, trading authorities, and film industry, raided a factory containing over 500 DVD burners and arrested five people.
This is the largest major bust since the Metropolitan Police Film Piracy Unit (FPU) was formed in February, calling on the assistance of Waltham Forest Trading Standards and FACT (Federation against Copyright Theft). Four men and one woman, presumably part of a Chinese piracy operation, were arrested.
Authorities say the underground factory was capable of producing over 60,000 DVDs per day, or 2,700 per hour, with an estimated daily street value over $438,000. The raid occurred near London in an area called Leyton after an investigation into the supply of counterfeit DVDs in London and South East England.
The police seized over 300 titles, among them the film, Ice Age 2, scheduled for release in theatres two days later. The FPU will be investigating the financing of the operation.
"Waltham Forest has a zero tolerance attitude to organised counterfeiting and will continue to enforce this policy," said Gavin Douglas, Group Manager, Public Protection for the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
"We also believe that the raid will have a major impact on the pirate DVD sellers operating in the local area and will help reduce the criminal activity brought into local communities by this and associated crimes."
Raymond Leinster, Director General of FACT, said the successful raid was "a major intervention against Chinese organized crime in the UK." | If Wyatt Earp Lived Today | Virgil: They're carryin' DVD burners, Wyatt.
Wyat: You go arrest them, something goes wrong, maybe somebody really gets his head broken. You'll have Chinese DVD Pirates comin' around lookin' for trouble from here to Christmas. You want to risk all that over a few stolen movies?
Virgil: Damn right I'll risk it. They're breakin' the law.
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