Pirates Caught In Bristol

Ooh arr, Jim lad: a huge counterfeiting business responsible for making thousands of pirate DVD copies of the latest movie blockbusters has been discovered during two raids in Bristol (UK).

Bristol East police officers, from Central District, believe the fake DVDs and CDs, together with computer games, uncovered at two addresses in Oldbury Court and Ropewalk House, St Judes, would have been sold at car boot sales and markets across the city.

Three people were arrested – a 42-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man from Oldbury and a 53-year-old man at a second address in St Judes.

Investigators from the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), together with five officers from Bristol East were responsible for the operation.

Several machines capable of copying a large number of DVDs, CDs and computer games at once were found in the raids on the two houses, which had been turned into counterfeit factories.

Three thousand blank DVDs were found in a car outside the house. The copying equipment, together with thousands of fake DVDs, CDs and computer games, filled a large transit van when taken away by officers.

Titles included the new Kevin Costner western, Open Range, which has not been released at the cinema in this country, the Eddie Murphy comedy Haunted Mansion, Mystic River with Sean Penn and Runaway Jury with Gene Hackman.

It took investigators and officers four hours to search and collect all of the copied material and copying equipment, which included high-speed duplication towers.

It is understood the films and music were being prepared for markets and car boot sales throughout the region.

All three people were released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Story source: avonandsomerset.police.uk.