Tony Mokbel’s Sentence Reduced on Appeal
Gangland figure Tony Mokbel will no longer serve additional prison time after a major drug trafficking sentence was significantly reduced on appeal.
Original Conviction and Sentence
In 2012, Mokbel received a 30-year sentence with a 22-year non-parole period for masterminding an extensive drug syndicate across three criminal cases. Of the total sentence, 20 years were linked to one specific case.
Resentencing Details
On Thursday, the court cut Mokbel’s sentence to 13 years, seven months, and 15 days. This period was recognized as “time already served” prior to the appeal hearing.
Mokbel acknowledged the justices by bowing and then shared a kiss with his girlfriend before leaving quietly for his legal team’s chambers.
Court's Reasoning
“He is taken to have served that entire sentence,” stated Justice Stephen McLeish during resentencing.
The court considered several factors including the 2023 quashing of an earlier Plutonium conviction, Mokbel’s head injury while imprisoned, and the decision to sentence him as a first-time drug offender.
Appeal Outcomes
- One of Mokbel’s three major convictions (Quills) was unanimously dismissed by the Court of Appeal justices Stephen McLeish, Maree Kennedy, and Stephen Kaye on October 3.
- A retrial was ordered for a second conviction (Orbital).
- The third conviction (Magnum) was upheld.
Author's Summary
Tony Mokbel’s drug trafficking sentence was drastically cut after an appeal, reflecting legal reconsiderations and prior convictions being overturned.