Mexican customs officials have seized 8.7 million blank optical discs imported from Taiwan in two major border operations in the past few months. The seizures were the result of investigations carried out with the assistance of APCM Mexico, the music and film industry anti-piracy unit.

The first shipment of five containers was detained in August at the port of Manzanillo, and subsequent enquiries revealed there were inconsistencies in the shipment's documentation that led the authorities to impound the containers as contraband. A total of 6.7 million blank CD-Rs and DVD-Rs were seized.

The discs, branded Princo, were traced back to Taiwan. The organisation that brought them into the country had used the Free Port of Panama as an onward shipment point. Princo has maintained a major shipping and distribution centre in the Free Port of Panama catering to the Americas for several years.

The second shipment consisted of two containers with two million blank CD-Rs and DVD-Rs and was seized on 2 October at the port of Veracruz. The importation documents of these discs from Taiwan also showed irregularities.

Industry investigators believe that most of these blank discs would have been sold carrying Mexican repertoire in the many street and fixed markets in the country that offer pirate music. The Mexican pirate music market is estimated at more than 120 million discs, largely burned CD-Rs. The authorities' actions against the illicit import of blank CD-Rs and DVD-Rs into Mexico is part of the government's effort to contain the growth of such pirate products.

Story filed 03.11.08