Melbourne drug kingpin accused of laundering money through Betfair

Convicted drug trafficker Horty Mokbel has been reportedly laundering millions of dollars of drug money through online betting exchange Betfair Australasia, which is part of casino operator Crown Resorts.

According to The Age, Mokbel and company have been shifting drug proceeds between Betfair and Roctel, a small Melbourne-based business communication provider in which Mokbel invested AUD $1 million. Through Roctel executives and partners’ accounts, Mokbel and associates have reportedly funneled a total of AUD $3 million.

Mokbel and his drug lord brother Tony are members of the ”tracksuit gang”—a group of punters, organized criminals and racing figures who bet big and formed close ties with jockeys, bookmakers and trainers. Both brothers were banned by Victoria police from all racetracks and Crown Casino since 2004. However, police failed to ban other members, including Paul Sequenzia, who owns a number of prominent harness race horses.

Victorian police did not comment on why Sequenzia and the others were not banned but noted that the criteria includes being suspected of using racecourses for criminality. Sequenzia, who has been linked to the cobalt doping scandal and race fixing, has been spotted reuniting with Mokbel after the latter was released from prison on drug offences.