Police raid Scots pirates

#8 million in counterfeit computer product is recovered in Glasgow raids

Police have recovered #8 million of counterfeit product after raiding a shopping area and private homes in Glasgow over the weekend.

A total of 240 officials took part in the raids at the Barras Enterprise Trust shopping area and isolated sites. The raids resulted in 41 arrests as well as massive seizures of counterfeit goods, including laser disks, CD-Roms, floppy disks and PCs.

According to the police, 10,000 copies of floppies were taken from one stall. Seized counterfeit software included a wide range of products such as games, management and business programs ? some of them latest titles. Audio tapes and videos were also confiscated.

Officers from Glasgow City Council Trading Standards department, the DSS, Customs & Excise, police and trade investigators had previously been targeting suspected businesses. Scotland, in line with the rest of the UK, now uses legalisation which allows assets to be confiscated by authorities if there is a successful conviction.

The weekend?s raid was the second such clampdown in six months involving the Barras area in the east end of Glasgow, a sprawling retail district with shops, units and stalls.

The first raid resulted in police seizing a total of #3 million of counterfeit goods.

Ian Wilson, deputy director of Glasgow Consumer and Trading Standards, said: ?We commend all the officers who took part in this great partnership of joint work with other agencies. It shows what can be achieved in the protection of the public and legitimate traders.?

Convener Bailie Alex Mosson, chairman of Glasgow City Council environmental services committee, said: ?I congratulate and fully support the Trading Standards officers, with their colleagues from other bodies, in their work making Glasgow the city where fair trading exists.?