House raided, two persons arrested in modchip crackdown

Nintendo wants to send a message that you can’t always get away with hacking and pirating. In a recent raid, authorities in the UK cracked down on a website and traced the source of the modchips that it sells. Two people were arrested and some 2,000 chips were seized to be destroyed later. Details after the jump.

A house was raided and two people were arrested in Leicestershire, UK, by local police for the manufacturing of Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 modchips. This is part of Nintendo’s crackdown strategy to fight back against advocates of piracy on their platform.

According to a Nintendo press release, a small residence in the Coalville area of Leicestershire was the inconspicuous site of hacking and pirating activities. It was discovered through joint efforts by Nintendo, ELSPA, and law enforcement bodies.

Nintendo says that the house had some sophisticated equipment used to produce modchips that will enable fake game DVDs to run on consoles. Around 2,000 chips were seized by authorities and will be destroyed later to make sure they don’t wind up in the streets again.

Nintendo warns people not to patronize “rogue consoles” outfitted with modchips. The company says customers are risking functionality in their systems when they decide to try modded Wiis. They also warn that legal accountabilities may arise from using such devices.