Bootleg Bust Nets $225k in Merchandise

WEST PHILADELPHIA - July 31, 2007 (WPVI) -- Recording and motion picture industries lose millions of dollars a year off of bootlegging. During this bust, police uncovered almost a quarter of a million dollars worth of illegal movies, music videos and cds.

The Simpsons, Die Hard 4, even Harry Potter. The bootleg DVDs were just a few among the thousands seized at an apartment on the corner of 49th and West Thompson.

Narcotics officers were tipped off to the illegal operation while busting a suspected drug dealer on the same corner. They arrested two men in their early 20s who they believe may be living here illegally. They are facing a felony charge of counterfeiting.

They said the men were not making the bootlegs here.

"This was a distribution point. People were coming to this location picking up the product and then distributing movies out on the streets of Philadelphia," said Sgt. Joseph McCloskey.

When police found the merchandise they called representatives from the Motion Picture and the Recording Industries. Sgt. Joseph McCloskey says it only costs about 30 cents to make each disc, but they're sold for about $5, so there is a large profit margin.

"The manufacturing of these can be done as easy as filming the movie while they're watching," said McCloskey.

The landlord of the building where the men were arrested told police he had no idea they were using the apartment to run an illegal operation. Investigators don't buy it, but say they cannot charge the man with a crime.

"This is supposed to be an apartment, but there is no running water or electricity in the apartment so it's basically being leased for illegal activity," he said.

Police say they made another significant bust earlier this summer where they found about 15-thousand dollars worth of merchandise. This west Philadelphia warehouse had 225-thousand dollars worth of bootlegs. That should give you some idea of how much money these guys were making.

(Copyright 2007 by Action News and 6abc. All Rights Reserved.)

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