11 Accused of Audiotape Piracy After Home Raids

Raids at five Southern California homes on Thursday netted more than $100,000 worth of high-speed duplicating recorders, shrink-wrappers and other devices, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Roger Clark said.

The alleged ringleaders of the family-run business that specialized in Latino music were 25-year-old Raul Islas and his grandparents. They allegedly made 25,000 counterfeit cassettes a day and sold them at swap meets and small grocery stores, Clark said. Islas and 10 others were arrested and booked for investigation of audiotape piracy and copyright violation. They were being held at the sheriff’s station in the City of Industry in lieu of $5,000 bail each, Deputy Britta Rodela said.