THREE family members involved in one of the largest pirate DVD operations ever uncovered have been jailed.

A company paid for by Khalid Asghar Sheikh, 53, and run by his sons Sami, 28, and 26, supplied international criminal gangs with the means to produce hundreds of thousands of illegal films a week.

The three stood trial with illegal immigrant Xin Li, 34, of Victoria Rd, Walthamstow, who organised one of the Chinese criminal networks which used the brothers' services.

Li used slave labour trafficked into the UK to work in illegal DVD factories in Leyton and Walthamstow.

Sami Asghar Sheikh and Rafi Asghar-Sheikh were sentenced to six years each for conspiring to produce pirate DVDs.

Khalid Asghar Sheikh was sentenced to four years for conspiring to launder the proceeds of film piracy and sentenced to four years.

Xin Li, also known as Jerry Li, was sentenced to 27 months for concealing the proceeds of crime.

All four men will serve half their sentences on licence.