GoKawiilUK man jailed 3.5 years for £2.7m counterfeit vinyl operation
Rehan Ahmed of Southall, west London, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for running an unlicensed vinyl-pressing operation since 2017 that generated nearly £2.7 million. City of London Police raided his 'Phoenix of Vinyl' business in 2024 after the British Phonographic Industry made a test purchase, seizing 2,791 fake records spanning 108 artists, four vintage presses, 3,000 metal stampers, and thousands of sleeves and labels.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
BPI director Peter Ratcliffe says counterfeit vinyl operations exploit the format's resurgence and can help fund other criminal activity, according to his statement. The BPI's disclosure of 43 search warrants and roughly 600,000 seized items over two years suggests counterfeiting has become a widespread problem tracking alongside vinyl's sales growth, which BPI data shows rose 13.3% year-over-year in 2025.
- Rehan Ahmed received a 3.5-year prison sentence for counterfeiting vinyl records since 2017.
- Police seized the largest known stock of fake vinyl in UK history: 2,791 records by 108 artists.
- BPI reports 43 warrants and about 600,000 seized counterfeit items over two years, worth up to £8 million.
Source: tomshardware.com — Kunal Khullar, 2026-09-27
Published there as: “Counterfeit vinyl record maker sentenced to three years in the slammer after making $3.5 million”
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