NZer nabbed in Sydney piracy swoop

A New Zealand man nabbed at Sydney airport has been charged over an international music piracy ring.

The 45-year-old was arrested on Tuesday after landing in Sydney on a flight from Auckland, Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.

Police allege he was actively involved in distributing pirated music CDs to businesses in New Zealand, Western Australia and Queensland.

The man was charged with five counts of distributing copyright material illegally and bailed to appear in Waverley Local Court on January 21.

It was the second arrest in the investigation, with a 36-year-old man charged in April, police said.

At the time, officers seized a number of items including music CDs, computers containing extensive music files, empty CD cases, business records and promotional material during a number of raids across Sydney.

The maximum penalty for the offences is five years in prison and/or a fine of $A65,000 ($NZ79,181).