One of Australia’s most famous gangsters walked free on Friday after prosecutors said they would drop a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges.Sixty-year-old Tony Mokbel – a key figure in Melbourne’s years-long gangland war – was jailed for 30 years in 2012 after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate.But his case fell apart after it was revealed that his high-profile lawyer at the time, Nicola Gobbo, was feeding information to police while supposedly defending her clients.Mokbel spent about 18 years behind bars but was released on bail last April after a court ruled he had a strong chance of overturning the criminal convictions.A court subsequently acquitted him of one charge and ordered a possible retrial over allegations he tried to import a commercial quantity of the synthetic drug MDMA in 2005.On Friday, prosecutors in the state of Victoria said they had decided not to pursue that planned retrial.
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FRI · 2026-02-06 · 06:05 GMTBRIEF NSR-2026-0206-13831
NSR-2026-0206-13831News Report·EN·Legal & Judicial
Australian drug lord Tony Mokbel walks free: ‘I don’t regret anything’
Australian drug lord Tony Mokbel, a central figure in Melbourne's gangland wars, was freed after prosecutors dropped a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges. Mokbel had been sentenced to 30 years in 2012 for masterminding a drug syndicate.
Agence France-PresseSouth China Morning PostFiled 2026-02-06 · 06:05 GMTOutlet · Privately owned · Hong KongRead · 1 min
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Australian drug lord Tony Mokbel, a central figure in Melbourne's gangland wars, was freed after prosecutors dropped a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges. Mokbel had been sentenced to 30 years in 2012 for masterminding a drug syndicate. His conviction was jeopardized when it was revealed that his lawyer, Nicola Gobbo, was acting as a police informant. After serving 18 years, Mokbel was granted bail in April following a court ruling that he had a strong chance of overturning his convictions. While one charge was dropped, a retrial was considered for a 2005 MDMA importation allegation, but prosecutors in Victoria ultimately decided not to proceed.
Confidence 0.85Claims 5Entities 5
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Legal & Judicial
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Prosecutors decided not to pursue a planned retrial over allegations he tried to import MDMA in 2005.
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Mokbel spent about 18 years behind bars.
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Mokbel's case fell apart after it was revealed that his lawyer was feeding information to police.
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Tony Mokbel was jailed for 30 years in 2012 after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate.
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Tony Mokbel walked free after prosecutors dropped a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges.
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1 min read · 150 wordsKey playerOppositionContextPositiveNeutralNegative
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tony mokbel
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drug trafficking
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retrial
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nicola gobbo
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gangland war
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police informant
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criminal convictions
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melbourne
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mdma
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