HONG KONG BUSTS

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Hong Kong authorities have shut down a Web site which sold about 12,000 pirated animation DVDs to Japanese customers by mail over six months, local Chinese-language daily Wen Wei Po reported Sunday.

Registered by a Hong Kong resident identified only as Cheung, the site mimicked a legitimate Japanese Web page by providing stock and purchase information in Japanese, the paper quoted customs officials as saying.

Officials estimated that the site made $1 million H.K. ($129,198 U.S.) for Cheung, 22. Arrested along with him were two other males -- another 22-year-old and a 67-year-old.

Japanese instructions on the site asked interested customers to choose online, transferring the price and postage fee to a Japanese bank account -- one of three bought by Cheung on the black market.

Cheung allegedly evaded investigation by heading to Japan each month to withdraw money put in his accounts.

The illegal site went unnoticed by authorities until two months ago, when legitimate copyright holders complained to Hong Kong customs.

Investigators posing as Japanese customers ordered DVDs from Cheung's Web site. They arrested him Thursday, when he attempted to mail three packages of DVDs at an eastern Hong Kong post office.

A later search of Cheung's turned up 160,000 pirated DVDs, described as all high-quality and well-packed.

Cheung received only middle-school education and was described as an "intellectual criminal" by one customs official.

Cheung dresses Japanese-style, is thought to be a big J-pop culture fan and may understand Japanese, the official added.

【Author：佚名】