Tony Mokbel Released After Sentence Reduction
Gangland figure Tony Mokbel has been resentenced on appeal over a major drug trafficking conviction from 2012, resulting in his immediate release.
Original Conviction and Sentence
In 2012, Mokbel pleaded guilty to orchestrating an extensive drug syndicate across three criminal cases. He received a 30-year prison sentence with a non-parole period of 22 years. Of the total sentence, 20 years related to one specific case.
Sentence Reduction on Appeal
On Thursday, the Court of Appeal shortened Mokbel’s sentence to 13 years, seven months, and 15 days. The court recognized this as “time already served” prior to the appeal hearing, effectively freeing him immediately.
“He is taken to have served that entire sentence,” said Justice Stephen McLeish.
Court Details and Reactions
Mokbel showed respect to the justices by standing and bowing before sharing a kiss with his girlfriend. He left the courtroom smiling, declining to comment, and headed directly to his legal team’s chambers.
Factors Considered in Resentencing
- The quashing of an earlier conviction in 2023, known as the Plutonium case.
- Mokbel’s head injury sustained while incarcerated.
- His resentencing as a first-time drug offender.
Previous Court of Appeal Decisions
On October 3, Justices Stephen McLeish, Maree Kennedy, and Stephen Kaye made several determinations regarding Mokbel’s convictions:
- One conviction (Quills) was unanimously dismissed.
- A second conviction (Orbital) was ordered for retrial.
- The third conviction (Magnum) was upheld.
This resentencing effectively ends Mokbel's current imprisonment for his drug offenses.