A CRIMINAL who was jailed for money laundering is being forced to hand over more than £300,000.

Police carrying out a surveillance operation outside McDonald’s at Astley Bridge caught Irfan Buma and another man passing over a carrier bag containing £60,000 on January 4, 2014.

Officers then carried out a search of his home in Romney Chase, Astley Bridge, and found a further £151,000 hidden.

The cash was seized and forfeited under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act — and later that year at Bolton Crown Court, 40-year-old Buma pleaded guilty to money-laundering offences and was jailed for 16 months.

He has since been released from prison but investigators continued to look into his finances and Buma was back at court yesterday to have more cash taken from him.

Police financial investigator Tony Wood had found £103,000 in unidentified transactions going through Buma’s bank accounts.

The Honorary Recorder of Bolton, Judge Timothy Clayson, agreed that the money was illegally obtained and Buma had benefited from it and ordered him to pay it back within three months or face a further two years in jail.

The order means Buma will have to sell his car and £250,000 house, which had a £75,000 mortgage on it.

Mr Wood welcomed the order.

“It is an excellent result under the Proceeds of Crime Act,” said Mr Wood.

“People of Bolton can be happy in the knowledge that we will pursue people convicted of crimes, no matter how long it takes, to strip away the gains of their criminality.”