Malaysian police raid illegal disc plants

Kuala Lumpur, 11th December 2007

Malaysian authorities have raided three illegal optical disc manufacturing plants, recovered six replication lines, several hundred infringing stampers and thousands of infringing discs over the last few weeks.

The Royal Malaysian Police, working with music industry anti-piracy operatives, acted on information from a source and moved against the first illegal facility in Kluang, Johor province on 20th November. The raid netted three replication lines and more than 6,000 infringing discs.

A review of evidence recovered from the first facility led to the location of a second illegal factory in the same town. The police subsequently raided this optical disc plant and located a further two replication machines with several hundred infringing discs.

The Royal Malaysian Police then passed the investigation and exhibits to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA) who, together with industry investigators, identified a third related illegal replication plant. When the authorities approached this optical disc plant they discovered the owners attempting to remove a sixth replication line in a heavy goods vehicle. This replication line was also seized.

The authorities and industry operatives continue to investigate the syndicate, their activities and the individuals involved