Media

Deputies Seize Pirated Movies and Music Albums In Raid

Release Date: June 3, 2005

Detectives with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office ALERT Team continued their efforts yesterday afternoon to combat the sale of illegally duplicated movies and music albums. Investigators raided a South Memphis business where the illegal items were being stored and sold.

“Counterfeit movies and music are growing problems in Memphis and Shelby County. It has a huge impact on the business community. The ALERT Team, through its partnership with retailers and other agencies, is making headway in exposing these illegal business operations” said Shelby County Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell, Jr.

Deputies raided the “Kemet Campus Bookstore” at 990 Mississippi. Investigators confiscated about 600 DVD movies such as Star Wars and other movies. Many of the movies are still being shown in area theaters. Some illegally copied music CDS were also found in the store and in a vehicle parked outside. The vehicle’s owner, Wallace Redd, 57, of Memphis, was charged with Criminal Simulation over $10,000 which is a felony. Wallace Redd is pictured at the beginning of this article.

The ALERT Team (Area Law Enforcement Retail Team) is a collaborative between the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, area retailers, the motion picture and music industry, the Tennessee Department of Revenue, and various law enforcement agencies to investigate shoplifting, stolen merchandise, fraud and other crimes.

So far this year, more than 50 people have been arrested by the Sheriff’s Office ALERT Team. More than $40,000 in stolen property has been recovered and returned to area stores and theft victims. More than $200,000 in illegal property has been seized so far this year by A.L.E.R.T. Squad investigators.

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