30,000 Pirated Movie Tapes Seized; 9 Suspects Arrested

Police arrested nine people and seized 30,000 bootlegged tapes in a raid on what prosecutors called the largest video counterfeiting operation uncovered in the nation.

The Brooklyn lab turned out pirated versions of some of the most popular films in theaters at a rate of some 2 million tapes a year, costing Hollywood an estimated $100 million in annual revenues, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

Titles seized in Friday’s raid included “L.A. Confidential,” “Kiss the Girls,” “Soul Food” and “Red Corner,” District Attorney Charles J. Hynes said Sunday.

The lab was raided following a tip, Hynes said.

The nine suspects are charged with trademark counterfeiting and failing to disclose the origin of a recording. If convicted, they face up to four years in prison.