Chinese Gangs Biggest Piracy Threat In London

South London is a known hotspot for the piracy trade, with illegal DVDs on sale in shopping centres, pubs, restaurants and even on the streets.

On Wednesday Lewisham police and Trading Standards officers joined forces with Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) staff to raid a dingy flat in Deptford High Street.

Inside they discovered thousands of pirated DVDs as well as allegedlyforged £20 notes and fake IDs.

The DVDs were seized by FACT, who will use the haul as intelligence in their ongoing bid to shut down the industry.

FACT spokesman, Eddy Leviten said: "The biggest source of the problem is Chinese organised crime. "They're mostly based in the UK to their best of our knowledge, but there may also be international links."

Business is believed to be booming for the Chinese criminals with the illegal industry providing big financial returns for its bosses.

Buying the fake DVDs is not an offence, but the production and sale of the copies is illegal.

Investors at the top who reap the rewards have little involvement in the details of the operation, while lower-level management usually set up the DVD-copying factories.

Mr Leviten said: "The street sellers may not even know who is manufacturing the product, they just know where to get their stock from. "Most of the sellers are voluntarily smuggled into the UK from mainland China. They come for economic reasons. "It operates in a similar way to the drugs trade in terms of hierarchy and distribution."

Among the DVDs seized during Wednesday's operation were copies of The Bourne Ultimatum, which isn't released in UK cinemas until Friday.

FACT will forensically analyse copies of the film to try and find out where it was recorded.

The rest will be shredded and ultimately recycled for use in the plastics industry.

At the sharp end of the industry the rewards are not so great. The raided flat in Deptford had one small bedroom fitted with eight bunk beds.

The beds are likely to be used by illegal immigrants between shifts selling DVDs or working in London's kitchens.

The DVDs at the flat were discovered in a backpack and two cardboard boxes.A men's suit jacket with extra pockets pinned into it was also seized.

The DVD-sized pockets could be used to hold adult films or to allow customers to be approached discreetly. In Lambeth regular inspections are made of shops and market stalls to reduce the supply of counterfeit DVDs. In July 500 were seized from a store in Brixton.

Pubs where DVD sellers operate are often visited by Trading Standards officers following tip offs from the public.

Getting the courts to prosecute people for selling the fake discs on the streets has been a challenge because they believed it was a waste of their resources prosecuting the low-level criminals But Mr Leviten said: "There does seem to be more willingness from the courts to impose custodial sentences on repeat offenders involved in selling these discs."

FACT were involved in an operation which saw seven people admit charges relating to the sale of fake DVDs in Whitechapel last month. Several of the Chinese nationals gave addresses in South London and one was jailed for four months. Mr Leviten said: "Members of the public should be aware that when they buy these DVDs they are contributing to organised criminal enterprises."

FACT ask that people call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if they see fake DVDs being sold or if have information about their manufacture.

Story source: icnetwork.co.uk.