Money laundering pair caught on M62 must repay £25,000 - or face more jail time

Confiscation orders were granted by Bradford Crown Court last week against Khalid Mahmood Khan and Sajid Khan, who were sentenced to 16 months and 13 months respectively for transferring criminal property in relation to a quantity of around £32,000 in cash which was recovered from a vehicle after police stopped it on the M62 in February 2016.

The cash was believed to be linked to the supply of Class A drugs.

The sentences led to the Bradford District Proceeds of Crime team investigating the finances of the men.

Khalid Mahmood Khan, 40, of Park View Road, Bradford, was found to have available assets which totalled £13,970.23.

This was made up of his share of the cash seized from the vehicle, cash seized on his arrest and bank account funds.

The available assets of Sajid Khan, 48, of Thorpe Road in Walsall, were found to total £11,148.88. This again was made of up of his share of the seized cash, cash seized on his arrest and bank account funds.

Both men were ordered to repay the full amounts by May 6 2019 or face a further six months in prison. The orders will still stand if the money has not been repaid by the date.

A hearing into the available assets of a third man jailed following the investigation, Mohammed Sajid Khan, 41, also of Park View Road, Bradford, is due to take place in June.

Detective Sergeant Karen Milner, of the Bradford District Proceeds of Crime Team, said: “These orders are a further warning to those who believe they can benefit financially from a criminal lifestyle.

“The Bradford District POCA Team is committed to using the Proceeds of Crime Act legislation to investigate the funds of criminals so any benefits they are believed to have received from their activity can be seized by the courts and in some cases, used to benefit the communities who have been affected by crime.

“If you suspect someone may be living a similar lifestyle then you can report them by calling the police on 101, or using the live chat facility on the West Yorkshire Police website. Information can also be reported anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) added: “It’s reassuring to see these confiscation orders going against individuals who look to harm our communities and rightly sends a strong message that crime doesn’t pay. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Bradford District Proceeds of Crime Act Team and prosecutors for their thorough and diligent work on this case.

“A good amount of this money will now be put into my Safer Communities Fund, which provides grants to community projects and organisations across West Yorkshire, who are helping to keep people safe and feeling safe.

“So far, well over a hundred projects in the Bradford District have received a share of around £650,000 of this funding. The latest round of grants are due to be awarded in March where I’m sure Bradford will see more success.”