Australian Kingpin Obtains Shorter Sentence Over Drug Charge
Australia's most notorious gangster, Tony Mokbel, received a reduced prison sentence on Thursday for one of his drug-related convictions after revelations that his former lawyer had acted as a police informant.
Mokbel, a central figure in Melbourne's prolonged gangland conflict, was originally sentenced in 2012 to 30 years in prison for orchestrating a large-scale drug network known as "The Company." The syndicate was connected to numerous violent incidents that inspired the popular Australian television series Underbelly.
The case took a dramatic turn when it emerged that Mokbel’s well-known lawyer, Nicola Gobbo, had secretly provided information to law enforcement while representing him and other underworld figures.
After spending around 18 years in prison, Mokbel was released on bail in April when the court determined there was a strong prospect of overturning his convictions. His legal team argued he would not have pleaded guilty had he known about Gobbo’s cooperation with police.
“The court subsequently acquitted him of one charge and ordered a possible retrial for another.”
The ruling announced on Thursday concerned a third charge involving the trafficking of over 41 kilograms of methylamphetamine between 2006 and 2007. Although the appeal was denied, the court decided to shorten Mokbel’s prison term.
Author’s Summary
Tony Mokbel’s sentence reduction highlights a major legal twist in Australia’s underworld history, where a lawyer’s covert collaboration with police reshaped a high-profile criminal case.