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DVD piracy gang 'made £7million'
Neil Millard9 Jul 2009
A DVD piracy gang faces jail today for Britain's biggest film copying scam.
The family-run operation made £7million from copied box office hits and pornographic films, touted for £3 a time.
Their warehouse in Essex fed "factories", staffed by "largely illegal Chinese immigrants" across the capital, Southwark crown court heard.
Khalid Sheikh, 53, and his sons Rafi, 26, and Sami, 28, of North Chingford, were found guilty of conspiracy to contravene copyright laws, contravene trademark legislation and acquire criminal property from March 2003 to June 2006. Xin Li, 34, of Walthamstow, was found guilty of concealing criminal property. Richard Russell, 29, of Dagenham, admitted infringing copyright laws. They will be sentenced on 28 July.
Reader views (4)
I personally know the family. They were wholesalers of blank CDs and DVDs, key suppliers to the whole of UK. They did not deal with any fake goods. They had been investigated by the FACT since 2005. FACT and the Metropolitan police spent over 4 million pounds on the case. They did not find anything illegal, however during this time raided 4 chinese premises with illegal goods. These chinese had no connection with the family. They may have been customers buying legal blank media.
The FACT linked the chinese members and family together and made them guilty in order to claim back the money they had lost. Police officer do do a good job, but here they have shown how low they can stoop by placing two very intelligent young entrepreneurs into prison for something they have not done.
The chinese man found guilty admitted not being involved with the family, but only went to their shop to purchase blank media. How could someone be jailed for having a good business?
It is like selling cutlery (eg knife) in good intention and being resposible for the murder which the knife was used for. How can you tell someone is buying things for illegal purpose?
- John Newman, Scotland, 10/07/2009 13:24
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Well done to them for making so much money. If it wasn't for the ridiculous high prices of the genuine DVD and the overpaid actors/actresses, I would have bought genuine ones as well. All it takes is for a blockbuster DVD to come down to a Fiver.
- Ed, London, 10/07/2009 03:43
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After serving their sentences they should ALL be deported.
- Vince, London, West London, 09/07/2009 15:20
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Will they be deported?I think not.
- Steve, London, 09/07/2009 11:28
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