BPI reports that two warrants were carried out at commercial premises and a third took place at a residential address.

Officers from PIPCU, with the support from the North West Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (NWPIPCU), seized 32,254 fake CDs that were being sold on Amazon. The CDs were identified as counterfeit by Amazon’s global Counterfeit Crimes Unit and the BPI and were reported to PIPCU. One man was arrested during the warrants and has since been released under investigation.

Police Staff Investigator Andy Cope from PIPCU said: “Counterfeit CDs can have a damaging effect on legitimate businesses and cause substantial losses to artists and the music industry. It is also important for the public to remember that sales from counterfeit goods can fund other forms of criminal activity, such as modern-day slavery and drug dealing. This operation should send a strong warning that the sale of counterfeit goods will not be tolerated …”.

Paola Monaldi, Head of Content Protection at the BPI, said: “The BPI welcomes the warrants carried out by PIPCU. Music fans love genuine CDs and vinyl – they are an important way for people to enjoy and gift music, and for creators to benefit. Genuine physical formats account for over 20 per cent of industry revenues from all purchased and streamed music. But creators don’t receive a penny from counterfeits because the money goes to criminals. That’s why the BPI continues to take action to protect consumers from fake CDs and to work closely with the police and in partnership with online marketplaces like Amazon. We look forward to the next phase of this investigation, and to continuing our other work to reduce physical infringement in the UK.” To read the BPI’s press release in full, click here.