£20,000counterfeit CDs and DVDs seized

December 2003

Anti-counterfeitting officers seized black market music and movies worth around £20,000 in a swoop on the open-air market at the site of the old Un-Yoke on Sunday morning. The fake CDs included albums by R.E.M. and Rod Stewart while latest releases among the DVDs included up-to-date attractions such as ‘Elf’, ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Master and Commander’.

The team of private investigators, hired by the Irish Recorded Music Association (I.R.M.A.), and Gardaí went to market armed with a warrant obtained at a recent sitting of Enniscorthy District Court. They left with loads of the illegal copies in black refuse sacks and cardboard boxes.

Hundreds of members of the public swarmed around the Un-Yoke in a sun-kissed pre- Christmas rush, snapping up everything from toys and tools to groceries and goldfish. However, the anti-counterfeitting crew concentrated their efforts on just five stalls.

Most of the stallholders targeted simply walked away, leaving their stock to be confiscated rather than face the wrath of the I.R.M.A. However, in one case, the investigators engaged in a protracted discussion with a man and woman in charge of a stall which advertised ‘adult movies available’ before being allowed to examine the contents of their van.

Sunday’s raid was matched by similar swoops at Balbriggan, Fairyhouse and Dublin city.

The Un-Yoke trawl brought in 600 CDs, with albums by Enrique Ingelsias, Ronan Keating and Kylie Minogue among those seized, along with some tape cassettes. The 200 DVDs removed included a number of Christmas favourites, plus the latest Disney blockbuster ‘Big Bear’ and ‘ The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. trainer Harid Scholl to take Max to school last Thursday morning.

The two children arrived through the school gates astride the towering Max, who was greeted by a guard of honour from 5th and 6th class pupils. He then went around to the yard, where the whole school was assembled.

‘Hardi had a bag of bread and threw it towards the kids so that Max would go over to them,’ said Donna. ‘ The shouts and the squeals were unreal. They totally surrounded the elephant, who was very well behaved and who didn’t put a trunk wrong. Then the principal, Donald O’Flaherty, got on and was taken all around the yard. I’d say you could have heard the squeals of the children up in Dublin!’