Tony Mokbel walks free from court again after major drug sentence slashed

Tony Mokbel Walks Free After Sentence Cut

Gangland figure Tony Mokbel has once again left court a free man after a major reduction to his 2012 drug trafficking sentence. The resentencing followed an appeal that significantly shortened his original term.

Reduced Sentence and Time Served

Mokbel was initially sentenced in 2012 to 30 years' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 22 years, for masterminding a complex drug syndicate across three separate criminal cases. Of that sentence, 20 years related to a single case.

On Thursday, the Victorian Court of Appeal reduced his sentence to 13 years, seven months, and 15 days—effectively the "time already served" before the appeal hearing. This means he will not return to prison.

In Court Appearance

During proceedings, Mokbel stood and bowed to the justices, then turned to kiss his girlfriend before leaving the courtroom. Smiling, he crossed Lonsdale Street to his legal team’s offices without issuing any public statements.

Legal Basis for the Decision

Justice Stephen McLeish explained that in resentencing, the court considered the 2023 quashing of Mokbel’s earlier Plutonium conviction, his head injury sustained in custody, and the fact that he was to be considered a first-time drug offender.

“He is taken to have served that entire sentence,” Justice Stephen McLeish said.

Prior Appeals and Convictions

On October 3, Justices Stephen McLeish, Maree Kennedy, and Stephen Kaye overturned one of Mokbel’s three major convictions (known as Quills), ordered a retrial on another (Orbital), and upheld a third (Magnum).

Author’s Summary

Mokbel’s appeal success marks another turning point in his long criminal saga, as judicial adjustments and time served lead to his complete release from custody.

The Age — 2025-11-06