"If this haul was recovered anywhere in the UK it would be impressive – but it's nothing short of remarkable considering that this operation was completed by one of the smallest police forces in the UK," said David Martin, Director of Anti-Piracy with the British Phonographic Industry.
Starting last Friday, the BPI, local Trading Standards Officers and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) worked with the force's Computer Crime Unit to raid two markets and 28 addresses in the Stirling, Tullibody, Falkirk, Grangemouth and Alloa areas of Central Scotland.
"We've done smaller raids in the region before, but nothing on this kind of scale," said the BPI's anti-piracy investigator for Scotland, Pat Ferguson. "Plus, it serves as a far bigger deterrent when we're able to raid their houses. The most determined pirates have nothing but contempt for the law and would be out flogging fakes days after being bailed if we didn't seize their means of production."
The haul is particularly timely given the expected annual boom in counterfeit trade during the Christmas period. In all, over £10 million in counterfeits were recovered, including 3,992 music CDs, 2,979 videos and DVDs, 1,452 discs of pornographic images and software, and duplication equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds.
"We have carried out several operations but this is our biggest yet," said David Nolan, spokesman for the Computer Crime Unit of Central Scotland Police. "The message could not be much clearer – anyone who is caught dealing in counterfeit crime should be warned that maximum penalty for such activities is 10 year imprisonment."
"I would urge people to think twice before buying cheap DVDs and computer equipment. They should remember that they are actually funding organised crime gangs," he added.