The National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) has helped crack a
multimillion-pound global software piracy group, following a joint
operation with the US Customs Service Cyber Smuggling Team.
Six men were arrested on 11 November, including several employed in
IT management or consultancy. The men are believed to be part of a
software piracy group called Drink or Die (DOD).
Search warrants were executed on 11 addresses in Staffordshire,
Kent, London and Merseyside, where hardware and software was
seized.
DOD is allegedly responsible for pirating millions of pounds-worth
of software, games, music and digital videos through Internet sites
across the globe.
The NHTCU said: "DOD is one of the largest international and most
sophisticated 'warez' [pirated software] organisations."
These groups crack software, remove serial numbers, tags and other
forms of protection, and post it on the Internet for illegal
distribution by other members of the group.
Detective Superintendent Mick Deats, deputy head of the NHTCU,
said: "[We are] sending out a powerful message to people who may
wish to commit these types of crime, that policing is matching them
every step of the way."
Other arrests have been made in the US, Australia, Finland and
Norway.