Raids smash piracy ring in Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico (Top40 Charts/ IFPI) - Mexican law enforcement authorities have teamed up with anti-piracy experts to execute several search warrants on a freight forwarding company that was a distribution point for pirated music and film product to various cities across Mexico.

This investigation, which had been on going for the past two weeks, came to fruition when authorities seized 37,000 pirate CD-Rs in the company's dispatch terminal and then proceeded to other sites within the well-known pirate market of Tepito, where a total of nine labs and five warehouses were raided.

The operation, which involved around 300 police units and 10 Approximately 300 police units participated in the raids, and prosecutors from the Attorney General's office (PGR), led to the seizure of 416,000 recorded CD-Rs, eight million covers, and 133 CD/DVD burners.

Mexican authorities stated that the raids had dealt a serious blow to major organised criminal activity in Mexico City's Tepito market. The freight forwarding company had a legitimate operating license but authorities had suspected it of having links to organised criminal syndicates in Tepito.

Iain Grant, head of enforcement at IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide, says: 'The smashing of this criminal syndicate is great news and an excellent example of partnership between the Mexican authorities and private sector anti-piracy experts. Other criminal gangs involved in counterfeiting music in Mexico should be put on notice that we could be coming for them next.'