A couple have been sentenced to prison at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday 10 May for making and supplying fake IDs over a four-year period.
Qerim Deda, 30, from Albania, was sentenced to 4 years and eleven months for offences of making and supplying false documents and possession of false documents with intent.
Alvina Timcisina, 36, from Romania was sentenced to 2 years and 5 months for offences of making and supplying false documents and possession of false documents.
The couple lived together on Olympic Way in Wembley. They both pleaded guilty to their crimes.
Detective Sergeant Darren Norman, City of London Police, said:
“We identified that the pair had sourced around 20,000 blank plastic ID cards, editing software and high-quality printers, thereby demonstrating the level of their offending, having spent over £20k on supplies. Their ill-gotten gains had funded a very lavish lifestyle of expensive restaurants and a two thousand pound a month flat.
“The case highlights the excellent police work from the start. From City of London Police officers routinely stopping three men for drug offences, right through to a Northumbria police investigation from 2021, where criminals had paid Deda for false identity documents. We do not stop in our pursuit of bringing to justice those individuals who never visit the City but facilitate criminality within it.”
In the summer of 2021, following analysis of mobile telephones seized from Albanian males arrested in relation to drug supply, City of London Police identified telephone numbers used to facilitate false identity documents. Communication with the telephone numbers attributed to Deda provided evidence of arrangements and prices for the supply of false identification documents.
The Serious and Organised Crime Team undertook a lengthy investigation, with the support of staff from across the force. When arrested in March 2022, a computer was found with over 10,000 images that related to the production of the counterfeit ID cards, which was used in evidence to show the extent of their criminality. The officers also found digital copies of bank statements, utility bills and payslips that were used to obtain bank accounts, accommodation and employment.
Deda and Timcisina’s customer base was predominantly Albanians who were in the UK illegally. The bank account of Timcisina was frozen and £47,394 was forfeited from her.
In sentencing it was stated that pair caused great harm, as their offending had been conducted over a long period and was sophisticated in nature. Both offenders were fully engaged in their criminality, making a large number of documents and considerable financial gain.
