Police officer from Essex jailed for eight years

Kashif Mahmood, 32, of Woodcroft, in Harlow, Essex, dressed in his uniform and used marked and unmarked police cars to travel to locations where the gang knew “significant quantities of criminal cash” would be exchanged, and took it himself while pretending to be doing his duties.

Judge David Tomlinson said Mahmood “abused his position of power, trust and responsibility” and his actions were an “exploitation” of his policing colleagues.

Mahmood, who wore a blue buttoned-up shirt and black face mask, did not react as the judge delivered his sentence, reduced from 12 years due to an early guilty plea.

The court heard he was a member of a “highly lucrative” operation which seized at least £850,000 from criminal couriers under the pretence of a “lawful exercise of his powers”.

He was sentenced after admitting conspiracy to acquire criminal property and misconduct in public office, although he did not receive any additional jail time for the latter charge.

Judge Tomlinson said the group put criminal couriers in harm’s way, as they would not have been able to explain to their bosses how the money had been seized.

Mitigating, William Emlyn Jones told Southwark Crown Court on Thursday: “He accepts that this is no one’s fault but his own. It is his own fault he has lost his good character and his hard-earned reputation.”

He said Mahmood achieved his “boyhood dream” of becoming a police officer at the age of 21, despite having a “challenging” childhood during which he was stabbed when he refused to join a neighbourhood gang.

“The punishment he has brought upon himself is substantial. It seems that in the end his background has caught up with him.

“He thought he had escaped but it called him back in.”

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Kashif Mahmood, Ioan Gherghel, Maria Shah, Shazad Khan, Shabaz Khan and Mohsin Khan who were all found guilty for their roles in a "highly lucrative" group who seized at least

Mr Emlyn Jones said Mahmood’s remorse was “genuine”, and added that he was “misled” about the extent of the gang’s criminal activity and did not take a cut of the money seized.

He told the court Mahmood did not live a “lavish lifestyle”, as suggested, and three of the four designer watches submitted as evidence were “cheap knock-offs”.

He was sentenced alongside brothers Mohsin Khan, 36, and Shazad Khan, 33, both of Babbacombe Gardens, Ilford; Shabaz Khan, 33, of Barkingside, east London; Mohsin Khan’s partner, Maria Shah, also of Ilford; and Ioan Gherghel, 34, of Keogh Road, Stratford.

Mohsin Khan was sentenced to 16 years for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and conspiracy to acquire criminal property.

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Mohsin Khan who has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and conspiracy to acquire criminal property. Former

Shabaz Khan was jailed for 14 years for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to transfer criminal property, conspiracy to acquire criminal property and possession of a controlled drug of class B with intent to supply.

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Shazad Khan who has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and conspiracy to acquire criminal property. Former

Shazad Khan and Shah were sentenced to 15 years and five years and four months in jail respectively for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and conspiracy to acquire criminal property.

Gherghel was jailed six years for conspiracy to acquire criminal property.

All were banned from travelling outside of the UK for five years after their release.