A 41-year-old man from Ilford is wanted by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after he was convicted of money laundering.

The NCA is appealing for information about the whereabouts of Abdul Fahad, 41, of Meads Lane in Ilford, who was arrested in 2018.

Fahad was found with bundles of cash totalling more than £100,000 in his car in that year.

The 41-year-old was charged with multiple money laundering offences after further cash was found at his home, alongside evidence of frequent trips to the United Arab Emirates.

Fahad told NCA officers that the cash they seized had come from life savings, and from the sale of property and stocks.

He said he was a sole trader dealing in cars and intended to use the money to buy a car.

Ilford Recorder: Abdul Fahad, 41, of Meads Lane in IlfordAbdul Fahad, 41, of Meads Lane in Ilford (Image: NCA)

However, an investigation found Fahad was in regular contact with Sathar Khan, a money launderer jailed in 2018 for attempting to board a flight to Dubai with almost £1.5 million in cash.

Messages from Fahad’s phone revealed a schedule of dates for travel to Dubai between himself and Khan.

Between 2017 and 2018, the two men made nearly 200 return flights, with both frequently travelling out with luggage heavier than they returned with.

It is estimated that Fahad left the UK with an extra 379 kilos over the offending period, equal to around £5 million in cash.

Fahad and Khan discussed sending two couriers per day on runs during July and August 2018.

Money laundering experts estimate this may have seen up to £50 million laundered in that period.

Ilford Recorder: Some of the cash found in Fahad's car when he was arrestedSome of the cash found in Fahad's car when he was arrested (Image: NCA)

Fahad appeared before Southwark Crown Court in September and pleaded guilty to three money laundering charges. He was granted bail but later absconded.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison on December 16.

NCA operations manager Jason Hulme said: “Fahad was at the heart of a multi-million pound money laundering conspiracy, moving cash which would have been derived from serious and organised crime in the UK and internationally."

It is believed Fahad could be in east London, particularly around the Ilford or East Ham area. He has connections to Dubai and Sri Lanka.

Anyone with information can report it to the NCA Control Centre on 0370 496 7622 quoting Operation Blissless or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.