Crime Time: Australians Behaving Badly (18 page)

THE ADVENTURES OF

TONY MOKBEL

I
n August 2001, Antonios Sajih ‘Tony’ Mokbel was charged with importing millions of dollars worth of pure cocaine, hidden in Mexican statues and candles. The trial was going to take two years to get started and he argued that his businesses would collapse if he had to be in jail, on remand, all that time. Because of this, he was granted bail.

Actually, it took a lot longer than two years. At one point, his bail was withdrawn and he was back in jail. Two drug squad officers involved in his case were arrested themselves. Then he was charged with threatening a prison officer, but the charge was dropped and he was released on bail again in September 2002. A witness against him went overseas after being released on parole. The man promised to come back for the trial, but then demanded $500,000 for his services.

In 2005, Mokbel was charged with inciting others to import drugs. By the time the trial over cocaine importing began, it was February 2006. He offered to plead guilty to trafficking if the importing charge could be dropped. This began to look as if it might happen.

Then the court made a huge mistake and released him on bail again.

Mokbel disappeared.

By the time he was found and arrested in Greece early in 2007, there had been plenty of rumours of where he might be and how he’d escaped. It was only after he was brought back to Australia that the truth came out.

Mokbel had had months to plan out his escape from Australia. He also had plenty of money and friends to help him. While police were searching for him in several countries, Tony Mokbel was living comfortably at a friend’s house in the Victorian town of Bonnie Doon.

Another friend, Byron Pantazis, flew to Greece, where he hired some Greek sailors. The sailors flew to Australia, where they bought a 17.3 metre motor yacht from an unsuspecting owner for $350,000.
Edwena
(meaning ‘rich friend’) was a good yacht. It had sailed around the world before. It was comfortable, but not flashy enough to be noticed by anyone who might be asking questions.

The boat sailed to Newcastle in New South Wales, where it was put on a truck and taken to Fremantle in Western Australia. It was re-fitted along the way and more work was done at the Fremantle Yacht Club. An extra – hidden – cabin was built in what had been storage for the sail, and an extra toilet added.

Now Mokbel left Bonnie Doon and crossed the country in a 4WD. He met the crew between Perth and Geraldton.

On 11 November 2006,
Edwena
sailed from Fremantle. Customs there recorded the departure of three Greek sailors. They didn’t find the fourth man, hidden aboard the boat. Nobody paid any attention to the fact that there were four lifejackets when there were supposed to be only three people aboard.

The trip took 40 days and nights, with
Edwena
reaching Greece on Christmas Eve. By that time, Mokbel must have been very happy to be back on land. He was horribly seasick all the way. No doubt, the sea voyage had seemed like a great idea at the time he’d thought of it.

After all that trouble, he was caught in Athens only a few months later, having a cup of hot chocolate at his favourite outdoor café. He was wearing a wig, but that didn’t help him much.

It still took nearly a year to get him back to Australia, because he fought it through the Greek courts. He complained that he wouldn’t get a fair trial in Australia. He said it was like handing him over to Hitler.

But when he finally did come home in May 2008, he returned in first-class comfort. The airlines refused to carry him and his minders, so a private plane had to be chartered to get him back.

As he had been tried and convicted in his absence, and there would be more charges to come, it will probably be his last taste of first-class living for quite a while.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I
f you’re a member of a public library, just use your membership card to log into the library’s website and you can use the online resources, including encyclopaedias. I did. I also used a lot of newspapers on the Internet, but there’s nothing like checking out newspapers as they come out!

I used about a million books, newspapers and websites to look up the information for this book. Here are a few you might like:

For children:

Tucker, Alan: Iron in the Blood: Convicts and Commandants in Colonial Australia
. Norwood, SA: Omnibus, 2002.

Sharpe, Alan:
The Illustrated Book of Infamous Australian Crimes
. Milson’s Point: Brolga, 1982.

Gard, Stephen:
The Bushrangers (Settling Australia)
. South Yarra, Macmillan, 1998.

For adults:

Morton, James, Lobez, Susanna:
Gangland Australia.
Carlton, Melbourne University Press, 2007.

Peters, Allan L,
True and Infamous Crimes of Australia and New Zealand
. Seaford, Bas Publishing.

Roberts, Murray Beresford:
A King of Con Men.
Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, c 1975.

Silvester,John & Rule, Andrew:
Gotcha: How Australia’s Baddest Crooks Copped Their Right Whack.
Camberwell, Victoria: Floradale Productions, Sly Ink, 2005.

Silvester, John & Rule, Andrew:
Underbelly: The Gangland War.
Camberwell, Victoria: Floradale Productions, Sly Ink, 2008.

Taylor, Paul:
Australian Ripping Yarns: Cannibal Convicts, Macabre Murders, Wanton Women and Living Legends
. Rowville, Victoria: Five Mile Press, 2004.

Websites:

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition:
www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/adbonline.htm

Melbourne Crime
(really good for the gangland wars): www.melbournecrime.bizhosting.com/index.html
Wikipedia:
www.wikipedia.org

INDEX

‘After Dark’ Bandits 89

Agostini, Linda 70-3

Agostini, Tony 70-3

Backpacker Murders 150-3

Bank of Australia (robbery) 13-16

Barlow, Kevin 117, 119-20

Barnett, Thomas 188

Barry, Redmond 45, 47, 54

Batavia 1-4

Bennett, Raymond 113-16

Birnie, Catherine 121-4

Birnie, David 121-4

Bond, Alan 94

Brady, Matthew 9-12

Brownout Murders 125

Bryant, Martin 143-6

Bugg, Mary Ann 36-9

Bunting, John 158-61

Byrne, Joe 45,46

Carroll, Luke 99

‘Catch me if you can’ Thief 65

Chambers, Geoffrey 117-20

Charlotte Medal 188

Condello, Mario 184-7, 196

Cooke, Eric 82-5

Cornelisz, Jeronimus 1-4

Davis, Robert 4

Deeming, Frederick 51-4

Dingle, James 13-16

Dudko, Lucy 147-9

‘Dumb and Dumber’ 99

Dupas, Peter 139-42

Falconio, Peter 197

Finch, James 65, 100-3

Gangitano, Alphonse 20, 155

Gardiner, Frank 32-5

Gibb, Peter 162-5

Glover, John 126-9

Gonzales, Sef 170-2

Greenaway, Francis 39

Great Bookie Robbery 113-16

Grills, Caroline 74-7

Harris, Jody 165

Hart, Steve 45, 46

Hayes, Donna 189-92

Hegyalji, Charlie 20

Herman, Tania 173-6

Hoddle Street Massacre 130-3

Holt, Harold 108

Hurford, Bridget 25-7

Jacob, Audrey 157

Jorgensen, Benjamin 189-92

Kangaroo Gang 104

Kelly, Ned 30, 44-7, 54, 73, 157

Kelly, Dan 44, 45,46

Kelly, James 44

Killick, John 147-9

Knight, Julian 130-3

Knorr, Frances 48-50

Korp, Joe 173-6

Korp, Maria 173-6

Lasseter, Lewis 138

Lee, Jean 78-81

Lees, Joanne 197

Leonski, Eddie 125

Long, Agnes 176

Long, Henry 176

Longley, Billy 81

Makin, John 55-7

Makin, Sarah 55-7

Markham, ‘Pretty’ Dulcie 77

McCraig, George 43

Mears, Billy 120

Milat, Ivan 150-3

Miller, James 109-12

Mokbel, Tony 198-201

Montez, Lola 21-4

Moran, Jason 180-3,193, 195

Moran, Lewis 61, 180-3, 196

Moran, Mark 180-3, 195

Morgan, ‘Mad’ Dan 28-31

‘Mum in the Boot’ Murder 173-6

Murdoch, Bradley 197

Orton, Arthur 40-3

Painters and Dockers’ Union 81

Parker, Heather 162-5

Pearce, Alexander ‘Cannibal’ 5-8

Percy, Derek 95-8

Port Arthur Massacre 143-6

Prince, Anthony 99

Pyjama Girl 70-3

Radev, Nikolai 177-9

Read, Mark ‘Chopper’ 112, 154-7

Roberts, Murray Beresford 86-9, 146

Ross, Colin 69

Rowles, Snowy 66-9

Rudd, Kevin 116, 169

Rudd, Thomas 169

Ryan, Ronald 90-3

Samuels, Joseph 24

Shannon, Pat 81

Shark Arm Killing 62-5

Sigma Break-in 134-7

Snowtown Murders 158-61

Society Murders 166-9

Solomon, Ikey 16

Stuart, John 100-3

Taylor, Squizzy 58-61

Tichborne Claimant 40-3

Tirtschke, Alma 69

Trimbole, Robert 105-7

Truro Murders 109-12

Turner, Joey 85

Underbelly (TV series) 31

Wade, Mary 116, 169

Wales, Matthew 166-9

Ward, Frederick ‘Captain Thunderbolt’ 36-9

Whiskey Au Go Go 65, 100

Williams, Albert 51-2

Williams, Carl 178, 181, 182, 183,186-7, 193-6

Worrell, Chris 109-11

THANK YOU

First, Paul Collins of Ford Street Publishing, who believed I could write this book, and to Saralinda Turner, for looking up a lot of gruesome stories so she could edit it.

Grant Gittus and Louise Prout made this book look terrific – much appreciated!

Many thanks to Kerry Greenwood and Chris Wheat, who helped me out when I was trying to find stories that didn’t involve serial killers!

Bouquets to Bart Rutherford O’Connor and teachers at his school who checked the cover with students – and to students and staff at Sunshine College West Campus who listened patiently to bits from the book and commented on the cover.

Finally, I want to thank the gang at the Presse Cafe in Elwood, where I wrote a lot of this book, for keeping the tea and muffins coming and showing such interest.