Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, a former aviation parts trader was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to a £40 million fake aircraft components fraud on Feb. 23, 2026.
Fake Aircraft Parts Sold Worldwide
Zamora Yrala, who originally comes from Venezuela, had worked in the aviation industry since 2011. He had started his company AOG Technics with him being the sole director in 2015 in Surrey.
More than 60,000 parts were sold by AOG Technics worth £6.9 million between 2019 and July 2023.
Many of these parts were intended for use in the CFM56 engine which powers Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, two of the most common passenger jets in service globally.
British Serious Fraud Office (SFO) conducted an investigation in which they found that Zamora Yrala bought aircraft engine parts, including seals, bolts and washers, and sold them on to airlines and suppliers around the world, with fake certificates guaranteeing their airworthiness.
Investigation, Fallout and Sentencing
SFO found in their investigation that Zamora Yrala had used his home computer to falsify genuine certificates and create false delivery records from manufacturers. He also invented fake employees, sending emails and documents signed by made up quality managers.
In fact, the SFO even said that only 4 people which are Zamora Yrala himself, his then wife, her brother and the family’s nanny, were on the AOG Technic’s payroll.
The fraud was caught on Aug. 4, 2023, when a Portuguese airline contacted the manufacturer to check the authenticity of an AOG part.
The inquiry exposed the fraud, leading the United Kingdom, United States of America and European Union aviation agencies to issue safety alerts and ground planes. Estimated losses to airlines exceeded £39.3 million.
Ethiopian Airlines purchased more than £1.1 million in parts AOG Technics.
American Airlines did not source components directly from AOG Technics but later discovered that 28 of its engines were fitted with falsely certified parts, leading to losses exceeding £21 million.
Fake parts coming through third-parties from AOG Technics were also found in 2 Ryanair aircraft.
The SFO’s director of operations, Emma Luxton, said in a statement:
“Zamora’s operation risked public safety on a global scale in a way that defies belief. I’m proud that we have used our specialist skills and expertise to bring him to justice and this criminal operation to the ground as swiftly as possible.”
During sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Justice Simon Picken said that Zamora Yrala used several elements of “trickery”:
“Your offending was more or less a complete undermining of the regulatory framework designed to safeguard the millions of people who fly every day, every year. That framework is there for good reason. What you did was reckless at best and utterly inexcusable.”
Zamora Yrala was also banned from acting as a company director for eight years and will face more crime proceedings later this year.
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