TWO men from Walthamstow have had to hand over more than £9,000 to police for their part in a money laundering ring which laundered nearly £2.5 million.

A confiscation order made at Southwark Crown Court on Friday ruled that six men who were convicted of offences including money laundering and supplying cocaine had to hand back sums of cash totalling more than £2.5 million.

Mohammed Din, 42, of Markhouse Road, had £8,757 confiscated. He was jailed for three-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to money laundering at a hearing at Blackfriars Crown Court in 2007.

Haider Bukhari, 38, of Farmillo Road, had £905 confiscated. He was handed an 18-month suspended sentence after appearing at Blackfriars Crown Court.

He pleaded guilty to money laundering £275,000 on the behalf of Asnat Akram.

Akram is the first-ever person to receive a Financial Reporting Order from the Metropolitan Police, which means he has to disclose his income to the Serious Organised Crime Agency every six months for the next 15 years.

Akram, 38, of Beehive Lane, Gants Hill had £2,459 confiscated.

He was sentenced in 2007 at Blackfriars Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine on a commercial scale between February 2005 and May 2006 and money laundering.

He was jailed for 12 years.

Det Insp Nick Joyce, from the Met's Serious Organised Crime Command, said: “This has been an extremely complex and comprehensive financial investigation, that along with the prison sentences targets criminals where it hurts.”

Three other men had cash confiscated.

Liakat Ali Romeo, 37, of Harold Road, Plaistow, had £34,403 confiscated. He was jailed for 18 months at Southwark Crown Court last year.

Ian Henry, 48, of Durban Road, Tottenham, had £369, 207 confiscated. He was caged for eight years in 2007 at Blackfriars Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Sundip Patel, 41, of Nevil Road, Forest Gate, had £41,370 taken. He was locked up for six years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply one kilogramme of cocaine.

The police investigation showed that these men played a crucial role in the money laundering which was either funding drug trafficking or was the proceeds of drug trafficking.