A JOINT police operation has smashed what officials believe was a major counterfeiting ring.

Plans for the operation, which also involved the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact), had been under way for six months.

Last weekend a swoop was carried out at a car boot sale in Seaham, Country Durham, which resulted in three people being arrested.

Two men, aged 39 and 32, and a 34-year-old woman were detained on conspiracy to defraud the film and music industries.

The men were arrested as they drove out of the car boot sale on Monday, May 31.

The woman was held after detectives called at a house in Kirklea Road, Houghton-le-Spring.

All three were questioned and then released on police bail until the end of July.

The men were driving a Suzuki Vitara, which was seized along with £5,000, which detectives suspected to be the day's proceeds from the sale.

Houses in Ash Crescent and Frederick Street, in Seaham, were raided, along with a caravan parked on an allotment site in the Parkside area of Seaham.

Inside officials found equipment capable of producing thousands of illegal CDs and DVDs, along with a large number of discs.

Music titles found at the caravan included copies of the latest recordings by Avril Lavigne, Morrissey and PJ Harvey, while the DVDs included blockbuster films The Day After Tomorrow, Troy and Shrek 2.

BPI and Fact officials believe the criminal activity in County Durham has been running for several years, supplying fakes to a large organised network throughout the region.

Detective Constable Steve Chinner, said the joint operation had put a big dent in the counterfeiting industry in the North-East.

"This was a massive operation, capable of producing thousands of fakes per day.

"We believe this will send out a message that the police, the BPI and Fact are determined to put a stop to what is simply organised crime.

"More arrests are almost certain to follow as we believe several other pople have been involved.''

"While it might be tempting for members of the public to buy CDs and DVD titles before they have ever been released, all they are doing is providing a market for criminals who then reinvest the cash in other illegal ways.

He said the police plan to target others who are using car boot sales as an outlet for counterfeit goods.

The arrests came three weeks after similar raids in the South Stanley area.

Pirate CDs and DVDs were recovered, along with £10,000, when police, trading standards and BPI specialists swooped on three terraced houses on the morning of Thursday, May 13.