Lawrenceville man Darren Smith Arrested after traffic stop leads to bootleg DVD, CD bust

Police arrested a Lawrenceville man after they said they discovered hundreds of bootleg DVDs and CDs in his home and car.

Police told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh they stopped the driver because his car had no bumper and the hood was about to fly off.

Investigators said they impounded the car and that's when they discovered the illegal merchandise.

Police told Kavanaugh that was just the beginning.

Officers arrested Darren Smith, 34, on July 10 because they said he was driving a vehicle too dangerous to be on the road.

According to the police report, an officer pulled him over along Highway 29 near Oakland Road.
They impounded the vehicle.

"When we impound vehicles, we always conduct an inventory so we can account for all the property that's inside," said Cpl. Jake Smith with the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Police said they discovered 144 bootleg CDs and more than 300 DVDs, which police said were obviously illegally recorded.

"Some of these movies were actually titles that were still in theaters," Smith said.

Officers then obtained a search warrant for Smith's Lawrenceville home on Valley Club Drive.

Inside, police said they found even more. Investigators said they found stacks and stacks of DVDs and CDs, more than 1,000 total.

Police said they also found the catalogs, cash and FedEx air bill with destinations all over the United States.

"There was some evidence that pointed to maybe they were selling at different shops in Atlanta as well," Smith said.

Smith faces 10 felony counts of unlawful distribution of recorded material and remains in the Gwinnett County Jail.

Police have issued arrest warrants for Smith's roommate and fiancée, who both live in the home with him.

Police said they are holding on to the cash they seized until they can determine whether it came from the alleged sale of the bootleg DVDs.