Birmingham officers with
jobs in trading standards have confiscated illegally chipped games consoles from an apartment in the city centre.
Council officials joined forces with West Midlands Police and the Association of UK Interactive Entertainment to carry out the large-scale raid.
The haul, which included 250 XBOX 360 consoles and 450 copied games, has a street value of approximately £500,000.
Birmingham City Council was notified of the suspected illegal activity following a complaint from a local resident.
Neil Eustace, chair of the public protection committee, said: "I hope this operation sends a clear message to those involved that we will not hesitate to take action against them in this city."
Earlier this year, the local authority's trading standards division issued a warning to members of the public about hoax emails offering internet users a tax refund.
Trading standards officials assured local residents that government bodies, such as HM Revenue and Customs, would not seek contact through the internet.
Posted by Jennifer Masters
