Home / Crime and Justice / Ex-DJ Jailed for Selling Fake Plane Parts Worth £7m
Ex-DJ Jailed for Selling Fake Plane Parts Worth £7m
24 Feb
Summary
- A former DJ sold nearly £7m of fake aircraft engine parts.
- His scheme grounded planes globally, costing airlines millions.
- He forged over 60,000 authenticity certificates from home.
A former techno DJ received a sentence of four years and eight months for orchestrating a scheme that supplied counterfeit aircraft engine parts worth almost £7 million. Operating from his garage, Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, 38, admitted to forging over 60,000 authenticity certificates between 2019 and 2023. His company, AOG Technics, provided these fraudulent components, which were installed in CFM56 engines. These engines are crucial for widely used aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
The implications of Zamora Yrala's actions were far-reaching. In August 2023, aviation authorities in the UK, US, and EU issued safety alerts due to the compromised parts, leading to the grounding of numerous planes across the globe. The court heard that airlines like Ethiopian Airlines suffered significant losses, with American Airlines facing over £21 million in damages. The total financial impact on airlines amounted to £39.3 million.
Investigations revealed Zamora Yrala employed elaborate subterfuge, creating fictional employees to project a larger company image. He exploited the trust placed in authenticity certificates, forging them to appear compliant with international regulations. The fraud was uncovered when a faulty part supplied by AOG Technics failed to fit an engine, triggering a broader investigation. A Portuguese inquiry into related individuals is ongoing.
