A former DJ who pocketed nearly £7 million by selling counterfeit aircraft engine parts has been jailed for four years and eight months.
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, of Virginia Water, Surrey, admitted supplying more than 60,000 bogus engine components worth £6.9 million to major airlines around the world through his firm, AOG Technics.
The scam triggered widespread disruption across global airports, forcing airlines to ground aircraft and launch an international hunt for the suspect parts.
A Serious Fraud Office investigation found that the 38-year-old had falsified paperwork to convince customers the components were genuine. He fabricated documents, including counterfeit memos purportedly issued by leading manufacturers, to bolster his credibility.
To further the deception, he created fictitious staff members — including sales representatives and quality control managers — who appeared to correspond with customers and sign off on transactions.
The fraud came to light in 2023 when Safran, a major aircraft parts manufacturer, was contacted by an airline seeking verification of components supplied by AOG Technics.
The discovery led to aircraft being grounded and losses approaching £40 million for companies such as American Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines. Ryanair also identified counterfeit parts during routine inspections of aircraft in Brazil and Texas.
Zamora Yrala founded AOG Technics in 2019 after previously working as an electronic dance music DJ in his native Venezuela. He operated the business from his Surrey home until the scheme was uncovered in 2023.
Using his personal computer, he forged airworthiness documents from his home office, including altered certificates purporting to come from regulators such as the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
Between 2019 and 2023, AOG Technics generated more than £7.7 million in revenue, with around 90 per cent estimated to have come from fraudulent sales. Most of the counterfeit components were intended for CFM56 engines used in both Boeing and Airbus aircraft, and in some instances refurbished parts were sold as new.
Zamora Yrala admitted fraudulent trading at Southwark Crown Court last December.