A former police constable has been sentenced for concealing money illegally obtained by her police officer husband.

Shareen Kashif, 30, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for 21 months, and 150 hours of unpaid work after earlier pleading guilty to concealing criminal property.

A covert investigation found that Kashif’s husband, former PC Kashif Mahmood, was a member of an organised crime group that intercepted rival drug gang couriers to seize hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The court heard Mahmood used police vehicles and resources to take cash from the couriers in meticulously planned operations orchestrated by a contact via an encrypted communications network.

He was arrested on 28 April 2020, which is when Kashif hid a box of money belonging to her husband. After an investigation found encrypted messages between the crime group members, Kashif was also arrested.

She told investigators that she knew of her husbands’ actions but had not reported him to the police.

The box, and the unknown sum of money in it, has never been recovered.

Mahmood, a former officer at London’s Central East Command Unit, was sentenced on May 13, 2021 to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office and conspiracy to acquire criminal property.

Other members of the criminal gang were also jailed, and Mahmood was dismissed from the Metropolitan Police without notice in November 2020.

In December 2021, Kashif – who was based at the same policing unit – was dismissed and both former officers were barred from the profession by the College of Policing.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Taverner, who led the Met’s investigation, said: “When Kashif became an officer she swore an oath that she would behave with integrity.

“She broke that oath when she chose to interfere with our investigation by hiding her husband’s criminally-gained cash.

“This was a far reaching and highly complex investigation and my team have worked hard to track down those involved and bring them to justice. Despite having to face the extra complications of working through the pandemic, they never gave up on the case. Their drive to track down corrupt officers should not be underestimated.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Bas Javid, said: “Kashif knew that her actions were plain wrong. Her deceit and dishonesty was exposed because of the work of the Met’s Anti-Corruption Command, and directed by the Independent Office of Police Conduct.

“Kashif’s case is rare, but highlights the important work of our dedicated Anti-Corruption Command. There is no room for corrupt officers within the Metropolitan Police Service and we have the biggest dedicated counter corruption unit within UK law enforcement.

“I know how hard they have worked and am proud of their tenacity and commitment in this case. The DPS are committed to rooting out those who let us and the public down.”