A pair of master forgers have been jailed after running a multi-million-pound counterfeit ID business that supplied fake documents to serious organised criminals across the UK and Europe.
Bilal Iqbal, 25, and Ummad Ahmed, 32, both from east London, were each sentenced to six years in prison at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, following a major investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The pair, who pleaded guilty in February to five charges including making false identity documents and money laundering, will serve half their sentence on licence.
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The NCA uncovered the operation during a separate probe into international drug trafficker Eddie Burton. Investigators discovered that Burton had used a forged ID supplied by Iqbal and Ahmed to travel across Europe, where he orchestrated the smuggling of over 300 kilograms of Class A drugs into the UK.
The forged documents – mainly UK driving licences – were almost indistinguishable from official DVLA-issued cards, with optional extras such as holographic stickers and raised text.
Customers were charged around £70 per licence, with a £40 express delivery service available.
Over an eight-year period, the pair are believed to have sold over 40,000 fake IDs, generating more than £1 million in profits.
These were laundered through a front business posing as a window cleaning company.
The documents were used not only by drug traffickers but also by individuals involved in immigration crime, enabling them to find work, access public services, open bank accounts, and claim benefits under false identities.
The duo’s arrest in January came just hours before they were due to fly to Dubai.
Iqbal was found carrying 19 fake driving licences, with 21 more recovered from his car and Ilford home.
At Ahmed’s home in Hornchurch, officers seized printing equipment, blank cards, holographic foil and over £20,000 in cash.
John Turner, the NCA’s senior investigating officer, said: “These men ran an extremely lucrative illegal enterprise and operated as professional enablers at the heart of serious and organised crime.
“These IDs helped high-profile criminals evade law enforcement and allowed those involved in people smuggling to equip migrants with false UK identities. Tackling such enablers is vital in our efforts to protect the public from organised crime.”
The case highlights the growing threat of forged identity documents in the UK and the critical role they play in facilitating a wide range of criminal activity.
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