Victorian underworld figure Tony Mokbel is a free citizen after prosecutors discontinued a decades-old drug trafficking case against him. The Director of Public Prosecutions on Friday morning confirmed it was dropping a retrial of allegations Mokbel attempted to source a commercial quantity of MDMA from overseas in June 2005, known as the Orbital case.
Orbital Case Discontinued
The 60-year-old has been out of jail since April 2025, but had been living under strict bail conditions that limited his movements, residence, and required a police-approved phone. The DPP’s decision removes those restrictions, allowing him to move freely.
Outside court on Friday morning, Mokbel thanked his legal team and supporters. “I’d like to thank my lawyers and barristers. There’s been a lot of them over the years that have been with me all of the way,” he said.
“It feels really nice, and life goes on.”
Mokbel said he was looking forward to travelling overseas, a dream he held while incarcerated. “Yeah, it’d be great to get on a nice plane,” he said.
The retrial would have required revisiting evidence from two decades ago and potentially locating witnesses.
Tony Mokbel’s lawyers argued he suffered a gross miscarriage of justice. (AAP: Joel Carrett)
The DPP outlined its reasoning for not pursuing the case, known as Operation Orbital. “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,” a spokesperson said.
Factors included potential delays, the age of the alleged offense, the lack of an actual importation, and the likely sentence considering Mokbel’s age, health, and time already served.
The Orbital case alleged Mokbel attempted to source a commercial quantity of MDMA from overseas in June 2005. However, those he contacted were undercover Australian Federal Police officers. Prosecutors alleged Mokbel ordered and sought to import 100 kilograms of MDMA for 800,000 euros. A “commercial quantity” was defined as just half a kilogram.
The alleged offenses occurred while Mokbel was already on bail. He was released from jail in April following a partially successful appeal of three convictions.
Mokbel’s legal team argued he suffered a miscarriage of justice due to his former lawyer, Nicola Gobbo, secretly providing information to Victoria Police. One case, “Quills,” was deemed so tainted that the Court of Appeal entered an acquittal. The court then ordered a retrial on the Orbital case, which has now been discontinued.
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