Tony Mokbel Walks Free After Sentence Reduced
Gangland figure Tony Mokbel has been resentenced on appeal over a major drug trafficking conviction he received in 2012. He will not serve any additional time in prison after the Court of Appeal significantly reduced his sentence.
Background
In 2012, Mokbel was sentenced to 30 years in prison — with a non-parole period of 22 years — after pleading guilty to leading a complex drug syndicate across three major criminal cases. Twenty years of that sentence related to a single case.
Resentencing Decision
On Thursday, the court reduced that 20-year sentence to 13 years, seven months, and 15 days, which was considered time already served. The decision effectively freed Mokbel, who bowed to the justices before leaving court, smiling and greeting his girlfriend outside.
“He is taken to have served that entire sentence,” Justice Stephen McLeish said.
Legal Context
Justice McLeish explained that the court considered several factors during resentencing, including the quashing of Mokbel’s earlier 2023 conviction known as Plutonium, the serious head injury he suffered in custody, and the decision to treat him as a first-time drug offender.
On October 3, Justices Stephen McLeish, Maree Kennedy, and Stephen Kaye collectively threw out one of Mokbel’s three major convictions (Quills), ordered a retrial for another (Orbital), and upheld a third (Magnum).
Author’s Summary
Tony Mokbel walked free after his major drug sentence was reduced on appeal due to time served, overturned convictions, and health factors recognized by the court.