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Man sentenced to 3.5 years for $3.6M counterfeit vinyl operation

Rehan Ahmed ran UK's largest bootleg record pressing operation for seven years, producing 15,000 fake LPs despite a cease-and-desist order.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 23h ago4 pieces NewswiresRedditGoogle News

What to know

  • Rehan Ahmed operated the largest counterfeit vinyl pressing operation in UK history for seven years, producing 15,000 fake records of 108 artists worth £2.7 million.
  • Police discovered the operation in 2024 despite Ahmed receiving a cease-and-desist order in 2017, showing the difficulty of enforcement against determined counterfeiters.
  • The case highlights the growing market for bootleg vinyl as physical music formats experience a resurgence—a trend industry bodies warn is funding other criminal activity.

Rehan Ahmed Counterfeit vinyl operatorPeter Ratcliffe Director of content protection, BPI

Man sentenced to 3.5 years for $3.6M counterfeit vinyl operation
pitchfork.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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yesterdaytodaynow · 11:20 PM ET
  1. 1

    Ahmed sentenced to three years six months prison

    Rehan Ahmed, 40, was sentenced on Monday for producing counterfeit vinyl records. He pleaded guilty to two charges of breach of artists' copyright and acquiring and using criminal property. The counterfeit operation generated £2,743,000 ($3.67 million) in unauthorized sales over seven years.

    “With music on physical formats enjoying a resurgence, the market in counterfeit records has unfortunately also been growing as criminals cash in at the expense of creators and fans.”
    — Peter Ratcliffe, director of content protection at BPI
  2. background

    Police raid Ahmed's warehouse, discover 15,000 bootleg LPs — Authorities raided the Phoenix of Vinyl warehouse and found the largest stash of counterfeit records in UK history. The facility contained 15,000 unauthorized vinyl records spanning 108 different artists, including Taylor Swift, Drake, Rihanna, Bad Bunny, the Beatles, and Ed Sheeran. Officers discovered hazardous conditions: chemicals stored in fridges next to beer cans, and documents scattered throughout.

  3. background

    Rehan Ahmed issued cease-and-desist order — Ahmed received a legal cease-and-desist order but continued his counterfeit vinyl operation for seven more years.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Man Jailed for Selling $3.6 Million in Counterfeit Taylor Swift, Rihanna Vinyl

    first by Pitchfork, 2d ago · also Paste Magazine

    1 more headline