A sophisticated pirate CD and video operation has been discovered by gardaí in County Monaghan.
A pirate CD and video racket, operating from a house in the Scotstown area of County Monaghan has been infiltrated by An Garda Síochána.
Gardaí raided the house and seized 100 counterfeit CDs and 240 counterfeit video tapes, 300 original video films, 800 inserts and 800 cases for the CDs. The counterfeit artwork produced for the CD inserts was top class and barely indistinguishable from the originals. Also seized was a very sophisticated CD duplicator capable of duplicating 25 discs and hour.
Given that CDs sell at up to £16 each, this was a very profitable operation.
The gardaí seized the haul under the Video Recording Act. Monaghan Garda Station is now an Aladdin's cave of pirate CDs and videos.
Superintendent Eddie Murray thinks the illegal CDs would have been sold at markets or outside concert venues. As counterfeiting is so easy, stopping the trade is difficult,
It’s hard but we keep plugging away at and hopefully limit it or stamp it out as far as we possibly can.
No one was arrested in the seizure and a file is expected to be prepared in the matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 29 April 1997. The reporter is Alasdair Jackson.
