LAWRENCEVILLE, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Gwinnett County police said they arrested a Lawrenceville man who was selling counterfeit DVDs and other items out of his home.
Police pulled over 34-year-old Darren Smith after noticing his car had no front bumper, bald tires and other safety concerns.
The office deemed Smith's car unsafe to drive and impounded it.
Police said they are required to inventory everything inside a vehicle when they impound it. That's when they discovered more that 400 bogus DVDs and CDs.
"I don't know who's buying it at this point," said Cpl. Edwin Ritter. "But there's a large market for these counterfeit items because they can get it much cheaper than they get it through video stores or wherever it may be."
The day after Smith's arrest they raided his home and report they found more than 1,000 additional counterfeit DVDs along with high-end clothing, purses and other items.
"Pretty much anybody can do it," said Ritter. "You have a camcorder. You can take it into a movie and that's typically how they make these things. Every once in a while you see a head bob up and down. But it's not a sophisticated operation at all."
Two others who lived at the home are also facing charges.
Gwinnett Police said bootleg operations have been an ongoing problem.
"We typically see maybe one or two cases like this a month where we'll arrest somebody for some type of counterfeit merchandise," Ritter said. "It could be through purses, shoes, through the movies and so on. A lot of times it's through the I-85 corridor going through Gwinnett County."
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