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Police arrested eight people and seized more than 29,000 pirated CDs and DVDs during two busts last week, the Attorney General's Office announced Monday.
"This is a crime that, frankly, we don't talk much about," said Chief Deputy Attorney General Kirk Torgensen. "But I've become convinced this crime is huge."
Piracy causes $12.5 billion in losses to the U.S. economy each year and results in the loss of about 70,000 jobs, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
In all, police said the discs seized last week were worth $345,000.
A nine-month investigation that started with purchasing music and movies outside Mexican food markets culminated in arrests in Ogden and Salt Lake City on Thursday and Friday, officials said.
Police said the discs were being made in California and shipped into Utah for distribution to various markets and vendors.
"Movies that would come out Friday, within a couple of days they'd be selling them," said agent Rhett McQuiston, of the Attorney General's SECURE Strike Force.
The strike force targets major crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. All eight of the men arrested last week were living in the country illegally, police said.
"This is where we ought to be drawing the line," said House Majority Leader Brad Dee, R-Ogden, who helped create the strike force in 2009. "This is something we can do without the federal government and we're doing it well."
Two of the men arrested face charges of aggravated re-entry into the country. The remaining six each face charges of racketeering, forgery and giving false information to police.