London Man Jailed After Making £2.7 Million From Fake Vinyl Records
LONDON — September 23, 2026

A London man has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after running an industrial-scale operation that produced and sold counterfeit vinyl records featuring music from more than 100 artists.

Rehan Ahmed, 40, of Southall, west London, generated £2.743 million from the sale of fake records between 2017 and 2024, according to City of London Police. He was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on September 18.

Police Seized Thousands of Fake Records
Authorities raided a unit in Acton, west London, in February 2024 after an investigation into Ahmed’s business, Phoenix of Vinyl.

Officers seized 2,791 counterfeit vinyl records involving the copyrighted work of 108 artists. The haul also included around 3,000 metal stampers, thousands of sleeves and centre labels, and four vinyl presses.

The total evidence weighed approximately 18 tonnes, making it the largest seizure of counterfeit vinyl records of its kind recorded by UK police.

The fake records included music associated with major artists such as The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Adele, Beyoncé, Drake, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran and Bad Bunny.

Seven-Year Counterfeit Operation
Investigators said Ahmed’s operation had been running since at least 2017.

The records were manufactured at the Acton facility and then distributed to customers. Police described the site as a fully operational underground vinyl manufacturing plant capable of producing counterfeit recordings on an industrial scale.

Record labels later examined the seized products and confirmed that the titles infringed their copyrights.

The investigation was referred to the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, known as PIPCU, by the British Phonographic Industry after counterfeit records were identified.

Ahmed Sentenced to 3½ Years
Ahmed was found guilty and sentenced to three years and six months in prison.

Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt of PIPCU said Ahmed had taken advantage of the renewed popularity of vinyl records to make money from artists and the wider music industry.

The case highlights the growing problem of counterfeit physical music products as vinyl has experienced a major resurgence among collectors and music fans.

Authorities said the operation has now been shut down following the investigation and court proceedings.

Sources: City of London Police; Sky News; The Guardian.