Tony Mokbel Walks Free After Drug Sentence Reduced on Appeal
Gangland figure Tony Mokbel will no longer serve jail time for a major drug trafficking conviction after his sentence was significantly reduced on appeal.
Originally sentenced in 2012, Mokbel received a 30-year prison term with a non-parole period of 22 years for masterminding an extensive drug syndicate in three separate cases. Of this, 20 years related to one case alone.
On Thursday, the sentence was cut back to 13 years, seven months, and 15 days—equivalent to the time he had already served before the appeal process.
After the verdict, Mokbel stood, bowed to the justices, then kissed his girlfriend before walking out of the courthouse smiling, without any comment, heading to his legal team's chambers across Lonsdale Street.
Judicial Considerations in Resentencing
Justice Stephen McLeish explained that the resentencing took into account several factors:
- The quashing of an earlier conviction in 2023 known as Plutonium.
- Mokbel’s head injury sustained during incarceration.
- His classification as a first-time drug offender for sentencing purposes.
“He is taken to have served that entire sentence,” said Justice McLeish.
Appeal Court Decisions on Convictions
On October 3, the Court of Appeal, consisting of Justices Stephen McLeish, Maree Kennedy, and Stephen Kaye, made the following rulings on Mokbel’s cases:
- Dismissed the Quills conviction.
- Ordered a retrial on the Orbital case.
- Upheld the Magnum conviction.
Summary
Tony Mokbel’s drug trafficking sentence has been cut considerably on appeal, allowing him to walk free after serving the time considered by the court.
Author’s summary: Tony Mokbel’s lengthy drug trafficking sentence was drastically reduced on appeal, reflecting legal reconsiderations and his time already served.