Raid on DVDs nets goods of £500,000

Wednesday 5th March 2008, 10:55AM GMT.

A massive haul of around 30,000 counterfeit DVDs, CDs and Wii Playstation discs worth around £500,000 have been seized.

They were destined for car boot sales around Staffordshire and the Black Country.

The raid was carried out at the regular Cocksparrow Lane sale at Huntington near Cannock last Sunday.

The operation involved Trading Standards officers and police.

Three people were arrested and have been questioned and three vehicles impounded by police on suspicion they were involved in the distribution of counterfeit goods.

The £500,000 haul included fake Wii Playstation discs and many DVD films which have yet to be released at the cinema.

Several thousand cigarettes and a quantity of rolling tobacco was also seized.

Councillor Carol Dean, cabinet member for safer and stronger communities said: “We need to get the message out there that it is not acceptable to sell these counterfeit goods and that there is a real risk of being caught.

“It is important for consumers to think about the consequences of buying counterfeit products as this can really affect local businesses who struggle to compete with counterfeiters who sell products that legitimate businesses are unable to – such as unreleased films.”

Similar operations are set to take place in the county in future months.



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