Former Met Police officer who helped drug gang steal cash jailed for eight years

Judge David Tomlinson said Kashif Mahmood ‘abused his position of power, trust and responsibility’

Former Met PC Kashif Mahmood has been jailed for eight years (PA)

A former Metropolitan Police officer who used his position to help an organised gang steal drug money from other criminals has been jailed for eight years.

Kashif Mahmood, 32, of Woodcroft in Harlow, Essex was sentenced at Southward Crown Court after pleasing guilty to conspiracy to acquire criminal property and misconduct in public office.

The court heard that Mr Mahmood, dressed in uniform, used police cars to drive to places where the gang knew “significant quantities of cash” would be exchanged, before seizing them in the guise of a “lawful exercise of his powers”.

Judge David Tomlinson said Mahmood “abused his position of power, trust and responsibility”.

Mahmood 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”.

Mitigating, William Emlyn Jones told Southwark Crown Court that 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.”

Cash found at the home of Mohsin Khan, Shazad Khan and Maria Shah (PA)

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.

Mahmood 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.

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.

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.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the former officer was an “audacious, corrupt and criminal”.

Director of major investigations Steve Noonan said: “His actions were a complete betrayal of public trust and confidence, and have no place in policing.”

He added: “This investigation has now resulted in a conviction and lengthy sentence for Pc Mahmood. It sends a clear signal to police officers who engage in corrupt activity that they will be caught and they can expect to pay a high price for their crimes.”

Additional reporting by PA