Master forgers gave fake identities to the criminal underworld

A pair of master forgers who made over £1 million supplying fake UK identity documents to high-profile criminals have been jailed. 

Their convictions follow an extensive National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

Bilal Iqbal, 25, and Ummad Ahmed, 32, both from east London, pleaded guilty in February to a total of five charges, including making false identity documents and money laundering.

On 22 May, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, a judge sentenced both Iqbal and Ahmed to six years’ imprisonment each, half of which will be served on licence.    

The duo’s criminal enterprise came to light during a separate NCA investigation into international drug trafficker Eddie Burton.

He purchased a fake ID from Iqbal and Ahmed, and used it to travel across borders in mainland Europe. From there he imported over 300 kilos of Class A drugs into the UK.

Fake identity documents can also assist irregular migrants smuggled into the UK on small boats and in lorries.

They can be used to gain employment, open bank accounts and commit acts of fraud to claim benefits and housing.

Iqbal and Ahmed charged around £70 for a fake UK driving licence and offered a range of optional extras, such as holographic stickers or raised text, for an additional cost.

Customers could also pay £40 for an express service to receive their ID in three or four days, as opposed to two to three weeks.

NCA investigators estimate the pair sold more than 40,000 fake IDs – an average of around 100 per week – over an eight-year period.

They made more than £1 million and laundered their illicit profits through a window cleaning company.

Without close inspection by a trained eye, the driving licences were identical to the official cards issued by the DVLA. 

Both men were arrested by NCA officers on 21 January 2025, hours before they were due to board a flight to Dubai.

At the time of his arrest Iqbal was carrying envelopes containing 19 fake UK driving licences, and 21 more were seized from his car and home in Ilford.

Items seized from Ahmed’s home address in Hornchurch included an ID card printer, laminator, blank plastic cards, holographic foil and over £20,000 in cash.

John Turner, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “These men ran an extremely lucrative illegal enterprise and operated as professional enablers at the heart of serious and organised crime.

“These IDs helped high-profile criminals evade law enforcement and operate anonymously. They could also be used by offenders involved in organised immigration crime to provide people smuggled into the country with false UK identities.

“Tackling enablers for wider criminality, such as Iqbal and Ahmed, is a key pillar in our mission to protect the public from serious and organised crime.”