A JAILED husband has been ordered to pay more than a quarter of a million pounds after bagfuls of cash, containing traces of drugs including cocaine, were found in an associate's car.

Muhammad Islam, 53, will have to pay a confiscation order of £279, 573.66 after a court hearing was held under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

He had already been convicted of money laundering in March and jailed for a total of five years and nine months.

His wife, Saima Shahzadi, 38, was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice and sentenced to eight months' imprisonment.

In October 2014, following intelligence, Thames Valley Police stopped a silver Honda on the M40 in Denham, South Bucks – the driver was Muhammed Mansur Ahmad, 25.

Officers discovered two carrier bags containing £56,080 in cash which were later forensically examined and found to be contaminated with cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy) and amphetamines. Ahmad was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and interviewed at High Wycombe Police Station.

He gave his address as a home in Topsham Road, London, which was owned and occupied by Islam and Shahzadi. Officers searched the address and found a shoebox in the tumble dryer containing banking paperwork, cash bundle tags and bank details written on pieces of paper. Further bank deposit receipts and bank deposit envelope stubs were found elsewhere in the property.

Islam was later arrested and denied knowledge of the cash found in the car. He said he employed Ahmad at his shop, but he did not know him well.

Ahmad’s mobile telephone was examined and was found to have pictures of bank receipts on it; proving that deposits had been made. According to this evidence, Ahmad had banked a total of £96,135 between May 27, 2014 and September 30, 2014.

The bank deposit receipts and envelope stubs located at Topsham Road showed that large sums of money were being paid into several different bank accounts during a short period of time; according to these it appeared that at least £233,661 cash had been deposited at various banks between September and October 2014. Other envelope deposit stubs were not dated so this amount could have been even higher.

Examination of records also showed money transfers from Ahmad to his purported employer, Islam, of £37,827. These were not explained.

Ahmad absconded whilst on bail and has not been located since, police said.

Detective inspector Gavin Tyrrell, head of Thames Valley Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “This was a complex investigation where our financial investigator had to follow the paper trails of bank deposits but were not given credible reasons for the deposits.

“No reasons were also given for why Ahmad, who was apparently an employee of Mr Islam, paid his employer more than £37,000.

“Money laundering is a serious crime and anyone found guilty of it should expect to pay heavily for their offences.”