Suspected DrinkOrDie piracy ringleader indicted, you can't hide

Last year we already reported about 'Operation Buccaneer' several times. This major operation, led by the Justice Department and U.S. Customs, lead to 20 convictions on charges of felony copyright infringement, including the conviction of some members of the popular 'DrinkOrDie' crack group.

Thanks to Bane for his tip, we can read a
follow-up story on News.com. The suspected ringleader of the DrinkOrDie group, Mr. Hew Raymond Griffiths, has been indicted and his extradition from Australia is being sought:

"Griffiths thought he was beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement," McNulty, whose office covers the eastern district of Virginia, said in a statement. "He will be proved wrong. We will seek formal extradition from Australia in the coming weeks, but for now, the message should be clear: No matter who you are or where you live, if you steal the intellectual property rights of individuals and businesses, we will not stop at our borders to find you and bring you to justice."

Griffiths, who McNulty said
went by the screen nickname "Bandido," faces up to 10 years in prison and
a 0,000 fine if convicted on both counts. According to the indictment, he
oversaw the illegal operations of DrinkorDie, which was founded in Russia
in 1993, and largely dismantled by federal authorities in 2001. The group
specialized in "cracking" software by circumventing embedded copyright
protections and distributing it via the Internet. The group used
encryption and other sophisticated security measure to cover their tracks,
according to the Justice
Department.
According to the article DrinkorDie illegally copied
and distributed more than million worth of pirated software, movies, games and
music.

Source: News.com