Former DJ sentenced to prison for trafficking thousands of counterfeit jet engine parts

The Southwark Crown Court in London concluded the trial of Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, who pleaded guilty to fourteen counts of fraud. The convicted man, residing in Surrey, ran the company AOG Technics, which between 2019-2023 became the source of a global crisis of trust in the aviation industry. CFM56 engines, powering popular aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, were equipped with parts of uncertain origin, bearing forged type approval certificates. The aviation parts certification system is based on so-called 8130-3 forms (in the USA) and Form 1 (in Europe), which must accompany every component from the moment of production to installation. Fraud in this area is rare but extremely dangerous, as it prevents tracking the service life of critical elements, which in the past has led to disasters caused by material fatigue. The scale of the crime came to light when mechanics at maintenance workshops noticed discrepancies in the documentation of parts supplied by Zamora Yrala's company. The prosecutor's investigation revealed that the accused deliberately falsified documents to create the appearance of legality for products that in reality may not have met stringent safety standards. The value of the counterfeit parts sales alone amounted to nearly £7 million, but the total operational costs incurred by airlines such as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines reach £40 million. These funds were spent on excessive technical inspections and the replacement of all suspected components in hundreds of aircraft scattered across the globe. 40 mln GBP — costs of repairs and aircraft grounding The judge ruled that the convicted man's actions were motivated by greed and demonstrated a complete disregard for public safety. Although no disaster directly linked to parts from AOG Technics was recorded, the prosecution emphasized that the risk was real and concerned elements operating under extremely difficult conditions of temperature and pressure. The sentence is intended to serve as a warning to other participants in the secondary parts market, reminding that aviation remains one of the most rigorously regulated sectors of the economy, where any deficiency in documentation is treated as a threat to human life. Financial consequences of the AOG Technics scheme: Value of counterfeit sales: 0 GBP → approx. 7,000,000 GBP; Total industry losses: 0 GBP → min. 40,000,000 GBP; Number of falsified certificates: 0 → thousands of units

Perspektywy mediów: Liberal media may place greater emphasis on gaps in state regulations and the need for stricter oversight of private intermediaries. Conservative outlets will likely focus on the severity of the sentence and the necessity to protect the reputation of the British aviation sector.