A West London man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after police uncovered an “underground vinyl manufacturing plant operating on an industrial scale.” According to officials, the facility generated more than $3.5 million by producing and distributing thousands of counterfeit vinyl records across the UK.
The City of London Police estimate the underground plant, led by 40-year-old Rehan Ahmed, operated from 2017 to 2024 under the name “Phoenix of Vinyl.” It came under investigation after the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) referred the case to police, which resulted in the recovery of nearly 2,800 vinyl records in February 2024.
Officers also found lacquer, four vinyl presses each about 70 years old, 3,000 metal stampers and thousands of sleeves and center labels. Officials said the seized materials reportedly weighed approximately 20 tons.
Record labels examined the evidence and confirmed the operation infringed the copyrights of 108 artists. Rolling Stone reported that artists included Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, Drake, Bad Bunny and Ariana Grande.
BPI Director of Content Protection Peter Ratcliffe said, “Sadly, it won’t return the tens of millions of pounds that we estimate have been leeched from artists, the record labels that support them and the retail community that sells their music. But at least this major criminal operation has now been closed down.”
A Crown Court found Ahmed guilty and handed down his sentence on Sept. 18.
