Court Slashes Gangland Boss’ Sentence
Former Melbourne gangland figure Tony Mokbel has achieved a major legal victory after a top court ruled he will not return to prison for his drug trafficking conviction.
Mokbel, once a central player in Melbourne’s gangland conflicts, was originally sentenced to 30 years in 2012 for serious drug offences, with a non-parole period of 22 years. After serving 18 years, he was granted bail in April.
His legal team appealed multiple convictions stemming from three police operations — Orbital, Magnum, and Quills — following revelations that his former lawyer, Nicola Gobbo, had acted as a police informant.
Last month, the Court of Appeal overturned his Quills-related trafficking convictions and acquitted him of those charges. The court also ordered a new trial for his MDMA importation and trafficking convictions under the Orbital operation.
However, Mokbel’s appeal over the Magnum case, which concerned his drug network known as The Company and the trafficking of methylamphetamine between 2006 and 2007, was dismissed.
On Thursday, Victoria’s Court of Appeal set aside the original 2012 sentence and replaced it with a term of 13 years, 7 months, and 15 days.
Author’s Summary
Tony Mokbel, once a leading underworld figure, saw his 30-year sentence cut to just over 13 years after the Court of Appeal revised his drug trafficking convictions.