A team from the Copyright Infringement Unit headed by Sergeant Paul Vaughan swooped down on the Swan Street and High Street video stores on Wednesday.
According to Hunte, the video shops were licensed video rental operations and sale of the DVDs was an infringement of copyright. But when officers arrived there, they found what appeared to be a very sophisticated DVD operation.
Confiscated at the Swan Street branch were 670 DVDs of various titles – including some which had not been officially released; 166 blank DVD cases, one sign board, one DVD player, a flat screen monitor, a computer, an amplifier and speaker, one video cassette recorder, two surge protectors and two CD libraries.
At the High Street location, 970 DVDs – 242 with labels and 168 without – 79 video tapes, a computer, flyers advertising adult or X-rated titles, one paper trimmer, one DVD player, one subwoofer, one VHS player and a number of remote controls, six CD libraries, one banner, seven adaptors, and a wooden sign were taken into police custody.
Hunte said employees of the video stores were also questioned, but there was no evidence to link them to this latest seizure.
He said the owner of the business would be interviewed very shortly.
Hunte said police had been working very closely with the stakeholders in the entertainment industry in terms of information sharing. And based on the information passed to them, operations would be carried out.
"Some might concern themselves with the fact that it is taking too long, but we [police] have to be meticulous and thorough.
"The laws of Barbados drive our action and once we are satisfied that we are within the framework of the laws of Barbados we proceed accordingly," said Hunte.