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Fiesta raids net thousands in loot, pirated CDs, and bathtub cheese
12:55 AM PDT on Tuesday, June 14, 2005


By SANDRA STOKLEY / The Press-Enterprise

State and local authorities accompanied by recording industry agents seized more than $10,000 and thousands of allegedly bootlegged CDs during early morning raids Sunday at seven so-called "fiesta" sites in unincorporated west Riverside County.

Two arrests were made and 12 citations were issued during the operation, Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Morin said in a press release.

The raids in the unincorporated communities of Eastvale, Mira Loma and Glen Avon are part of an ongoing crackdown on unlicensed fiestas -- Sunday morning gatherings where people congregate to eat, drink and listen to music.

Anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred people have gathered at these locations.

Three fiesta sites in Glen Avon and Eastvale have been visited previously by law enforcement, according to the press release.

In addition to the CDs and money, which partygoers used for various purchases, investigators seized 1,200 pounds of food, 200 DVDs and 30 pounds of "bathtub cheese" made with unpasteurized milk, being sold at the locations, the press release said. Brad Buckles of the Recording Industry Association of America, which participated in the raids, said CD piracy costs the recording industry more than $300 million a year. "Selling stolen property is all it amounts to," Buckles said.