Smugglers Use Plastic Tubing for DVDs

Alert cargo staff in Malaysia have discovered that some huge PVC pipes have been used by DVD smugglers as containers to store pirated optical discs.

This is the latest method used to smuggle DVDs and VCDs out of the country.



The consignment of 850 pirated DVDs was on its way to Miri when it was discovered by cargo staff at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Saturday morning.

As they were not authorised to open the packages, they contacted the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Two enforcement officers were despatched from the ministry to investigate and were surprised to find the DVDs neatly arranged inside the PVC containers.

Ministry deputy director-general Iskandar Halim Awang (operations) said as the pipes were slightly wider than the DVDs. The smugglers then stuffed the pipes with DVD jackets to stop the discs from falling out.

It is learnt that the DVDs were to be sent to Miri before being smuggled by runners into Brunei.

Iskandar praised the alert cargo staff.

He said they were trying to track the recipient’s address. There were no details of the sender.

"This is the first time we have come across pirated DVDs fitted and hidden inside PVC containers," Iskandar said.

The confiscated DVDs have been sent to the ministry’s forensics lab for testing to determine their origin.

The ongoing crackdown by enforcement officers has not deterred smugglers as about 10,000 parcels have been seized at mail and courier delivery centres nationwide since the start of the year.

An estimated 40,000 pirated DVDs bound for the Middle East, Japan, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom have been confiscated.

Motion Picture Association country manager Nor Hayati Yahaya said an average of 500 parcels were seized daily while they were smuggled out of the country by using the services of Pos Malaysia or couriers.

Story source: nst.com.my.