Overview

• Bilal Iqbal, 25, and Ummad Ahmed, 32, were sentenced to six years each at Snaresbrook Crown Court for their roles in a sophisticated forgery operation.
• The pair produced at least 5,000 counterfeit UK driving licences, with investigators suspecting the total could be as high as 40,000.
• The operation generated over £1 million in profits between 2022 and 2024, laundered through a window cleaning business and money mule networks.
• The fake licences were sold to criminals and undocumented migrants, enabling drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and other serious crimes.
• The National Crime Agency uncovered the scheme during a probe into drug trafficker Eddie Burton, who used a fake licence to evade law enforcement across Europe.