One million counterfeit discs seized in Guatemalan street raid

Guatemala City, 28 February 2007

More than one million counterfeit discs containing pirate music and films were seized by police in a major street operation in downtown Guatemala City it was revealed today.

Guatemalan National Police worked in coordination with the Attorney General's Office to launch a massive raid involving 560 officers on 9th February 2007. The officers raided 80 points of sale in the infamous 'Avenida 6' market.

In addition to the counterfeit discs, police also seized 45 CD-R/DVD-R burners, audio and television equipment as well as thousands of counterfeit inlay cards.

The operation took place shortly after police, prosecutors and judges participated in a three-day anti-piracy seminar hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Embassy and supported by various industry representatives including IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide and MPA, which represents the film industry.

Raul Vazquez, head of IFPI's Latin American regional office, says: "We congratulate the Guatemalan police officials for a job well done and look forward to more operations like this in the near future."