Organized crime ramps up film piracy efforts

March 02, 2009 [...] though it could point to only a handful of examples where the profits from piracy have been used to support terrorist activities, the report warns that the terrorist connection could increase in the future. Crime syndicates have become involved in the entire supply chain of illegal films from their manufacture to their street sales as piracy takes its place alongside such other criminal activities as drugs, money laundering, extortion and human smuggling. "Given the enormous profit margins, it's no surprise that organized crime has moved into film piracy," said Greg Treverton, the report's lead author and director of RAND's Center for Global Risk and Security.

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