Police officer from Essex stole £850k of criminal cash while pretending to do his job A police officer seized at least £850,000 in “criminal cash” under the pretence of doing his job, a court was told. Kashif Mahmood, 32, was “at the heart” of a “highly lucrative organised crime group”, Southwark Crown Court heard on Wednesday. The court heard Mahmood, of Harlow, Essex, dressed in his Metropolitan Police uniform and used marked and unmarked police vehicles to travel to locations where he knew “significant quantities of criminal cash” would be exchanged. He attempted to seize the cash under the pretence of the “lawful exercise of his powers”, and was assisted twice by co-defendant Ioan Gherghel, who pretended to be a fellow officer.
A corrupt Metropolitan Police officer who helped an organised crime gang steal from their rivals in a Line of Duty-style multimillion-pound plot has been jailed.
Kashif Mahmood, 32, used his police car to stop vehicles he knew were carrying significant quantities of criminal cash after being tipped off by the east London group.
He also travelled to locations where the gangsters knew money 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 s eight-year sentence was reduced from 12 years due to an early guilty plea at Southwark Crown Court.
By Lewis Berrill @LewisBerrill Chief reporter - east London and west Essex
Southwark Crown Court. Photo: Google Maps A serving Metropolitan Police officer seized at least £850,000 in “criminal cash” under the pretence of doing his job, a court has heard. Kashif Mahmood, a Harlow resident, was “at the heart” of a “highly lucrative organised crime group”, Southwark Crown Court was told on Wednesday. The court heard the 32-year-old dressed in his uniform and used marked and unmarked police vehicles to travel to locations where he knew “significant quantities of criminal cash” would be exchanged. He attempted to seize the cash under the pretence of the “lawful exercise of his powers”, and was assisted twice by co-defendant Ioan Gherghel, who pretended to be a fellow officer.
A corrupt police officer helped an organised crime gang steal from their rivals in a Line of Duty-style multimillion-pound plot, a court heard.
Kashif Mahmood, 31, used his police car to stop vehicles he knew were carrying drug cash after being tipped off by the group.
Accompanied on two occasions by Romanian bodybuilder Ioan Gherghel, 34, who posed as his police partner, they would confiscate the money.
Mahmood, a Metropolitan Police constable, regularly jetted to Dubai and bought designer watches.
The force’s anti-corruption unit began investigating him last year after French authorities infiltrated an encrypted phone network used by the gang, Southwark Crown Court heard.