Alot of you guys probably wouldent know this but the mafia in Australia are quite big...espicially in Melbourne...over the last 6 years there has been a war raging between rival families resulting in many deaths and court cases...impretty sure it was all over global news when about two years ago there were 8 deaths in about 6 months..including one guy (i wont mention his name..you never know) who wacked his rival right in front of 30 children playing football..also just wondering have any of you guys heard of a well known aussie gangster(who was against the mob) called chopper read...?

I have heard of him..read one of his books too!
Is'nt there a movie about his life too starring Hulk chappie Eric Bana?

yeah yogi..eric bana plays chopper in the film chopper which is about his life...his books are a good read...

im reading his book at the minute good so far, seen the movie too the guys a real gangster

Antonios Sajih 'Tony' Mokbel (b. August 8, 1965) is a convicted drug trafficker from Melbourne, Australia, who was a fugitive until his recapture in Greece on June 5, 2007. Detectives from Operation Purana allege that he is the mastermind behind the Melbourne amphetamines trade. He has been linked to Carl Williams, as well as the killing of several victims of the Melbourne gangland war. He disappeared from Melbourne while on trial in March 2006, and was arrested by Greek police in Athens, Greece on June 5, 2007. [1] Prior to his arrest, there was a $1 million bounty for information leading to his capture.[2] According to Victoria Police, this reward still stands.


It has been alleged that in late 2002 there was a meeting of more than 10 organised criminals in Carlton. At that meeting it is said that Mokbel was nearly beaten to death by Nik 'The Russian' Radev's bodyguard, West Australian Coffin Cheater Troy Mercanti. [4] Andrew 'Benji' Veniamin was ordered by his then close associate, Dominic 'Mick' Gatto, to take Mokbel to a friendly doctor. In the following couple of weeks Veniamin and Mokbel became close allies. Nik 'The Russian' Radev was the next underworld identity to perish.

Mokbel was reported to have paid convicted murderer, Keith Faure, $150,000 for the murder of Lewis Moran, the 23rd victim of the Melbourne gangland killings. [5] Mokbel has been investigated by Operation Purana.

He has also been charged with the murder of drug syndicate patriarch Lewis Moran, who was gunned down in 2004 in the front bar of the Brunswick Club in Sydney Road, Brunswick. [6]

[edit] Trial and disappearance

Mokbel was on trial over allegations that he imported cocaine from Mexico City. After expressing concerns for his safety, Mokbel went missing during his trial on 20 March 2006. [7] Police believe that Mokbel fled Australia with one of several fake passports, and that he transferred up to 20 million dollars into offshore accounts. He was reportedly tipped off by lawyer Zarah_Garde-Wilson. -[8]

He was convicted (in his absence) and was sentenced to twelve years jail. [9] [10]

In March 2007, Australian Labor Party MP Kelvin Thomson resigned as Shadow Attorney-General on the Opposition front bench after it was revealed that he had written a character reference for Mokbel to assist his application for a liquor licence in 2001. [11] [12]

Tony Mokbel's sister in law was convicted and sentenced to prison for failing to pay his 1 million dollar bail fee, as he had broken his bail conditions by fleeing Australia before he was convited on drug importation charges.[13] [14]

On 27 May 2007, it was reported through underworld sources that Mokbel was involved in a gunfight in Northern Lebanon, which he survived. [15] It is believed that Mokbel was tracked down by former friends of his who lost money in one of Mokbel's business ventures shortly before he disappeared last year to escape a gaol conviction for the importation of cocaine, as well as to avoid being charged with the murder of underworld figure Lewis Moran.

[edit] Arrest in Greece

On the evening of June 5, 2007, a Victoria Police spokesman announced that they had received information that Mokbel had been arrested and taken into custody by Greek authorities, but did not give any details of when and where he was arrested. [16] [17]

On June 6, 2007, it was announced that Mokbel had been arrested in a café in Athens. [1] At the time of his arrest, his appearance and physical features had changed significantly to when he went missing, wearing a brown wig and having grown a beard. Mokbel was found carrying a fake Australian passport and driver's license in the name of Stephen Papas. Doctors later extracted over half a kilogram in cocaine from 50 satchels inserted in his rectum.[18] Extradition back to Australia will take several weeks, or even years if he appeals. [19]

On the same night Mokbel was arrested, police carried out a raid on an underworld gang calling themselves 'The company'. 14 other underworld figures were arrested in Melbourne. Drugs, weapons and $790,000 in cash were seized. [20]

Am i right in saying that Chopper now lives on a farm in Tasmania and is treated like a celeb..

Chopper lives in melbourne again..and yes hes treated like a massive celeb...hes brought out a rap album..he sells paintings ...signs autographs for fans...writes his books..including some for kids no bullshit....hes a fucking sell out.

i don't know if to say thats a good thing at the end of the day,he's a murderer,but at least hes doing good now.i thought there is/was a contract on his head..

there will always be a contract on his head from alot of melbourne criminals but at the moment hes living the high life.

Kinda like Donnie Brasco,but a whole differant matter..

ITALIAN anti-Mafia officials are seeking to extradite and charge at least four Australians, including three Victorians, with conspiring with senior Calabrian Mafia figures to import one of Australia's largest cocaine shipments.

Documents obtained from a court in Catanzaro, Calabria, allege that the men conspired with Mafia figures between 2002 and early 2004 to ship up to 500 kilograms of cocaine from South America via Italy to Melbourne.

The requests follow an investigation co-ordinated by Italian authorities — codenamed Operation Decollo — which involved infiltrating a Calabrian Mafia drug-smuggling network operating across several continents.

The investigation has uncovered links between the Mafia network and terrorist groups in Colombia and Spain and led to arrest warrants for almost 100 people, including the four Australians.

A senior anti-Mafia commission prosecutor told The Age he began seeking the extradition of the Australians more than a year ago. "The trips that these men took to Italy were filmed, the telephone calls and conversations were intercepted, so we were able to supply the judge's office with evidence … that these people were involved in this international drug-trafficking of cocaine," prosecutor Salvatore Curcio said.

It is believed that the wanted men — Nicola Ciconte, 50, of Rowville, Michael Calleja, 48, of Kew, Vincenzo Medici, 40, of Mildura, and Carmelo Loprete, 38, of Adelaide — all live freely in Australia.

Ciconte finished an unrelated 12-month jail sentence last Friday for fraud and for failing to answer questions about drug trafficking before the Australian Crime Commission in 2004.

But despite an Italian judge issuing arrest warrants for the men more than two years ago and co-operation between the Australian Federal Police and Italian authorities, it is believed that the Italian Government is yet to send Australia the information required to initiate an extradition request.

Federal police conducted their own investigation into the four men, but it is believed the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions determined that the case was unlikely to succeed before a jury due to its complexity. It is believed the DPP also rejected an offer from Italy to send an undercover operative to testify in Australia.

An AFP spokeswoman said she could not comment on the details of the case and that extradition requests were a matter for the federal Attorney-General's Department. But she confirmed that federal police had not received an extradition request.

THE alleged Australian chapter of a Mafia drug-trafficking syndicate has evaded justice for more than three years, with Italy ignoring repeated requests from Australian officials to pursue the extraditions of four men.

Italian officials have offered no response to questions from their Australian counterparts over their failure to lodge paperwork enabling the extradition to Italy of the men allegedly behind a plan to import a record amount of cocaine into Melbourne in 2004.

The Calabrian-based Mafiosi involved in the plan have already served several years of lengthy jail terms but their four alleged Australian conspirators, named in arrest warrants issued in 2004 by an Italian magistrate, remain free.

Visits and cables from the Australian Federal Police to Rome have failed to produce an outcome. Nor have requests from the Attorney-General’s extradition unit to the Italian embassy in Canberra.

Italy’s failure to lodge the extradition paperwork is another setback in efforts by the AFP to ensure the charges proceed, including initial close co-operation with Italian police and extensive surveillance and phone taps between 2002 and 2004.

The impasse underscores the difficulties often faced by Australia when dealing with overseas agencies.

In 2004, Italian authorities sent Australia thousands of documents, in Italian, outlining their case against the Australian men, but the papers did not satisfy extradition requirements.

Since then, Italian authorities have failed to follow up on their promise to provide the correct paperwork.

The AFP may now be forced to destroy evidence it gathered against the men due to time limits on the storage of intercepted phone calls.

In March last year, The Age revealed that Italian court documents listed the wanted men as Victorians Nicola Ciconte, 51, Michael Calleja, 49, and Vincenzo Medici, 41, and South Australian Carmelo Loprete.

The documents allege that the men planned to ship more than 500 kilograms of cocaine into Melbourne in 2004. Because of the failure to initiate extradition proceedings, the men will only be arrested if they travel to Italy.

The AFP’s Operation Hellenic spent tens of thousands of dollars and significant manpower to investigate the four accused and their associates but did not charge them after advice from the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

Italian investigators have alleged the Australian men were part of a Mafia network with links to terrorist groups in Colombia and Spain. A senior Italian Anti-Mafia Commission prosecutor claimed last year that he had already ordered the Australian men’s extradition.

According to Italian court documents, Ciconte was allegedly involved in “promoting, financing and organising the operation”.

An Italian embassy spokesman said he could offer “no information about this case”.

is there much in your national newspapers about this whisper?

http://www.mafia-news.com/italy-stalls-extradition-of-wanted-australians/

yeah theres been a bit actually.
The powers in Italy have been paid off mate.

thought you might like to read this whisper

http://glasgowcrew.tripod.com/aust.html

Hey Chopper,Thanks heaps for the link,i enjoyed reading it a lot.

Like i've posted earlier,my brothers father,is involved with some of the mentioned parties,so it's always great to read up on some more info.

Thanks again mate.

No problem

I saw the movie, "Chopper" and really liked it.

Yeah Chopper is a great film!! One of the best films Australia has ever produced. That's how Eric Bana got Hollywoods attention.

I know its not a Mafia film, but it's gang related, but Romper Stomper was really good!

Russell Crowe is brilliant as a psycho who leads a small group of neo Nazi thugs into a war with Triad type people. God, you seen the first fight, these Chinese are big in number!!!

I agree good film..

Yes,agree also,good film.

The N'Drangheta.

The Australian Mafia is called L'Onorata Societa, "Honoured Society". Many of it's criminals came from Calabria, the impoverished part situated on the toe of Italy's boot. The Calabrian Mafia call themselves the N'Drangheta, a Greek word meaning heroism and virtue. They are also La Famiglia - "The Family".

Instead of the pyramid structure that Cosa Nostra uses, the N'Drangheta uses families based on blood relationships, inter-marriages or being a Godfather. Each group are named after their village or their family leader. Comiso "The Quail" Commisso is the Boss of the Siderno group, with its major bases in Italy and in North America. They also have members in Germany and Australia.

All members go through the N'Drangheta ceremony which involves a questions and answers that is to be spoken in rapid Calabrian. The member is to promise loyalty to the organisation regardless of the directive.

There are five rules which members must abide by: Help another member no matter what the circumstances are, Absolute obedience to the Officers of the Society, An attack on a member is an attack on the group and must be avenged, No member will approach any government agency for justice, Omerta must always be obeyed and all secrets kept within the group.

The birth of the Australian Mafia is thought to have originated in the cane fields of Queensland in the 1930's. The N'Drangheta became famous for it's Black Hand activities in taxing and extorting local farmers. Vincenzo Dagastino used this method and became very wealthy This method was used right up to the end of the Second World War.

After the war, the Mafia relied on the cities, where there was expansion. They benefitted in labour racketeering and political corruption. They also turned their interests to drug trafficking, mainly to Cannabis, where they profited immensely in it's massive production. Members had used their agricultural skills to grow the plants, as well as their place in the market to transport and distribute. All through southern Australia, they installed plantations. Finding it so lucrative, they made ties with the Chinese Triads in the 1990's. They began to import Heroin in exchange for Cannabis. Now, they have become Melbourne's biggest players in the Heroin market and rule their members with an even greater fist. It is thought that they have links with the Russian Mafia in New York, as well as back in Italy.

Robert Trimbole.

Robert Trimbole was born on 19th March 1931.

His rise to international notoriety began in Griffith, in the Riverina district of New South Wales. He started out in legitimate business ventures, but by 1968 these went bankrupt. He looked elsewhere to make money and in the 1970's, he gained huge wealth by setting up and distributing marijuana in the Griffith region. He soon became known as the leader of the secret organised crime group, known as L'Onorata Societa - "The Honoured Society". He is also a Calabrian, and so belongs to the N'Drangheta.

He worked very hard to portray the image of a successful businessman, but not everyone in the Griffith region was fooled and by the mid 1970's, Donald MacKay, an up and coming politician tried to get recognition by starting an anti-drugs campaign. In truth, this was an anti-marijuana campaign, aimed directly at Robert Trimbole.

On 15th July 1977, MacKay was murdered due to his speaking out about marijuana profits in the Griffith region. A $25,000 reward was offered for any information as to who was behind the killing. At the murder site, bloodstains and three spent cartridges were found near his car at the Griffith Hotel. It turned out that Mackay was an informant for the police.
In November 1975, MacKay had recieved a tip about a multi million dollar marijuana crop at Coleamby, near Griffith. Distrustful of the local police, he gave the tip to law enforcement in Sydney. Sydney police raided the plantation. During the trial, MacKay's name was disclosed and everyone knew what he had done. Trimbole was not impressed and ordered the murder.

Before his death, MacKay had exposed Trimbole. This did serious damage to the criminal organisation, as he had now already begun to expand his interests into heroin. He would later be caught up in the Mr Asia gang, an international heroin smuggling network. Between 1972 and 1979, the network operated in Australasia, dealing with gangs in New Zealand. In 1979, the arrests and imprisonment of it's English members spelt the end of the syndicate.

In August 1980, Trimbole was ordered to give evidence at the Melbourne inquest into the murders of two syndicate members, Douglas and Isabel Wilson. The Wilson's had been brought in from New Zealand and executed by Trimbole because he had found out through his corrupt policemen that the couple were police informants. More trouble headed Trimbole's way in June 1983, when MacKay murder participant, Gianfranco Tizzoni was arrested.

Tizzoni sang, he spilled his guts on everything. Trimbole started feeling the heat and fled. Trimbole was finally tracked down in October 1984, hiding in Dublin, Ireland. He was suspected to also had been in Italy, Switzerland and France. The legal moves for his extradition were stepped up, but he had the last laugh. He had already been in a Dublin hospital to treat his cancer, and now wouldn't get the chance to serve a big sentence, as he died. In the end, he had beaten them all.

Yo MMB. You should watch a new T.V series called "Underbelly". It's based on the only Aussie Mafia that counts...The one in MELBOURNE!!! haha

I got the DVD from my brother really good so far,, i think it comes out in Uk around December

DeNiro, it's out in December! That means then that you must have a !

OMG!!

My brother sent me the boxset from Australia.. Region 4

It's actually banned in Melbourne because of an on-going court case. But we've all found a way of getting copies. How you finding it DE NIRO?

Hey Whisper, I'm not surprised its banned, considering the gangster portrayals in it: Williams, Moran etc.