Australia Drug Kingpin Walks Free After Police Informant Scandal

One of Australia’s most notorious underworld figures, Tony Mokbel, will walk free after prosecutors announced they would drop plans for a retrial in a long-running drug trafficking case, bringing a dramatic chapter of the country’s legal history to a close.

The 60-year-old, a central figure in Melbourne’s infamous gangland war, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2012 after pleading guilty to leading a sophisticated drug syndicate. However, his conviction later unravelled following revelations that his former lawyer, Nicola Gobbo, had secretly acted as a police informant while representing him.

Mokbel spent around 18 years behind bars before being released on bail in April last year, after a court ruled there was a strong likelihood his convictions could be overturned. He was later acquitted of one charge, while a retrial was ordered over allegations that he attempted to import a commercial quantity of MDMA in 2005.

On Friday, Victoria’s Office of Public Prosecutions confirmed it would not proceed with the retrial, citing limited prospects of conviction and broader public interest concerns.

“This decision was reached after careful consideration of all aspects of the matter relevant to the prospects of conviction and the public interest in a retrial,” prosecutors said in a statement. They also noted Mokbel’s age, health, and the length of time already served.

Speaking outside a Melbourne courthouse, Mokbel said he was relieved by the decision. “It feels really nice, and life goes on,” he told local media, adding that he hoped to travel overseas — something he had dreamed of while incarcerated. “It’d be great to get on a nice plane,” he said.

Mokbel’s criminal network, known as “The Company,” was linked to violent feuds that claimed dozens of lives during Melbourne’s bloody gangland era — events later dramatised in the hit television series Underbelly.

The collapse of his case stems from the Lawyer X scandal, in which Gobbo — also known as Informer 3838 — allegedly provided police with information that led to the arrest and prosecution of more than 300 people.

A Royal Commission in 2020 described her actions as “fundamental and appalling breaches” of legal and ethical obligations, shaking public confidence in the justice system and triggering the review of numerous convictions.