Tony Mokbel stabbed in Barwon Prison attack
Drug lord Tony Mokbel has been taken to hospital in a serious condition after being attacked in the maximum security Barwon Prison. The mobster is serving a long sentence for high-level drug crimes.
Northern Territory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern Territory. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Drug lord Tony Mokbel has been attacked in a maximum security jail this afternoon.
The 53-year-old was taken from Barwon Prison, near Geelong, in an ambulance after being set upon around 3.45pm.
Mokbel is serving a long sentence for high-level drug crimes.
The dramatic emergency operation unfolded at the state’s highest security jail.
WHY MOKBEL’S STILL A BIG-WIG INSIDE OUR TOUGHEST JAIL
MOKBEL COULD MOVE FROM SUPER-SECURE UNIT
Paramedics and prison officers were seen crowded around Mokbel as he lay on a stretcher on grass at the prison.
Eight paramedics were working on the seriously injured drug lord, as he lay stricken between an air ambulance and a road ambulance.
Mokbel was bare-chested and wearing shorts, with paramedics working to treat wounds to his upper body and stomach.
Staff held a white sheet above Mokbel in an attempt to prevent a TV news helicopter from taking shots of the incident.
An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said an air ambulance had been sent to the prison.
“We were called at 3.45pm,” the spokeswoman said. “We are currently assessing one patient.”
Victoria Police confirmed the stabbing, saying in a statement: “Police and emergency services are currently attending a prison in Lara following reports of a stabbing about 3.45 this afternoon.
“The male victim will be airlifted to hospital in a serious condition.”
Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman Cheryl West also said a second person was treated for injuries at the prison. That patient was taken to hospital via road ambulance.
Barwon is a high-risk, maximum security prison 68km southwest of Melbourne CBD, which houses about 400 prisoners.
Mokbel was in 2012 sentenced to a minimum of 22 years’ jail and housed in the Diosma unit, a mainstream unit.
He skipped bail in March 2006 during a trial for cocaine importation and initially sought refuge in Bonnie Doon, where he hid for seven months.
While there, he received special deliveries, such as his mother’s tabouli, and visits from his then girlfriend, Danielle McGuire.
Despite being on Interpol’s top 100 list, and being the subject of a $1 million bounty for information leading to his capture, Mokbel is believed to have continued to run his drug empire from overseas.
His disappearance prompted rumours of gunfights in downtown Lebanon, plastic surgery and priest disguises.
INSIDE MOKBEL’S SPRAWLING PROPERTY EMPIRE
HOW DEADLY CARTELS ARE MOVING INTO AUSTRALIA
The wig Mokbel was wearing when he was arrested is now kept at the police museum, despite his attempts to reclaim it.
The Mokbel confidant at the centre of the scandal over police tactics — a scandal due to be blown open next week — had a strong rapport with both the drug lord and his brothers Horty, Milad, and Kabalan.
Mokbel says he trusted the person deeply.
There are claims the person was able to communicate with him, via an intermediary, while he was on the run.
In a court hearing following Mokbel’s flight, police publicly blamed a solicitor not involved in the trial for warning him that murder charges were about to be laid against him.
Mokbel travelled across the Nullarbor, posing as a mute named Wes, before boarding the yacht Edwena — complete with a purpose-built hidey hole and separate toilet for the fugitive — for a voyage to Greece.
He was eventually arrested in an Athens seaside cafe in June 2007.
Congratulating the police officers, he said: “I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve done a brilliant job.”
He was extradited back to Melbourne in May 2008.
Detectives said that while in Athens, Mokbel rented a two-storey apartment for $3224 a month, and had just received $400,000 from contacts. Ms McGuire also visited him.
Mokbel was charged with two murders, but was acquitted of one, and the other case was dropped.
More to come
‘Unreserved apology’: Legal body issues shock apology to unlawfully sacked boss
A legal aid agency has been forced to apologise in an embarrassing backdown that had its day in court. Read who’s sorry.
Live stream: How to watch St Mary’s v Districts in Round 8
Can the champs stop the Crocs juggernaut? Southern Districts are flying high, but they likely haven’t faced an opponent of this quality yet this season. Find out how to watch the match LIVE.