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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

NT outlaw bikie gang president sentenced to 10 years in prison

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A former leader of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang's Northern Territory chapter, Martin Burnett, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
  • Burnett, 66, pleaded guilty to extortion and supplying methamphetamine worth nearly $800,000, and his associate Filippos Magoulias also pleaded guilty to drug and extortion charges.
  • Both men have been in custody since their arrest in 2023 and will be eligible for parole by 2029, with the judge rejecting claims of rehabilitation and stating their motivation was financial gain.

Martin Burnett, the former president of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang's Northern Territory chapter, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in supplying methamphetamine and making threats to recover drug debts. Burnett, 66, pleaded guilty in the NT Supreme Court to extortion and supplying a commercial quantity of methamphetamine with a street value of almost $800,000.

lose two fingers

— Martin BurnettIn one of the covertly recorded conversations, Burnett told Magoulias one of the gang's drug dealers was going to "lose two fingers" after failing to repay his debts.

His associate, Filippos Magoulias, 57, also pleaded guilty to drug and extortion charges. The pair have been in custody since their arrest in 2023 as part of a police operation that targeted almost 40 Mongols members. The court heard that Burnett and Magoulias supplied street-level drug dealers with large quantities of methamphetamine, sometimes sourced from Melbourne, for distribution across the territory.

Secretly taped phone calls revealed discussions about interstate drug deals and plans to blackmail individuals who owed them money. In one recording, Burnett threatened a dealer, stating they would "lose two fingers" for failing to repay debts. Another conversation involved plans for an associate to "engage in sex or make a large amount of money to meet her obligations."

engage in sex or make a large amount of money to meet her obligations

— Martin Burnett and Filippos MagouliasIn a separate conversation, the pair were recorded discussing another of their associates needing to "engage in sex or make a large amount of money to meet her obligations."

Supreme Court Justice John Burns described Burnett as being at the "apex" of the gang's NT operations, emphasizing that his position as president was not one he "unwittingly fell into." Justice Burns rejected claims made by both men to psychologists that they had learned from their mistakes, stating he had "no doubt" their involvement was motivated by financial gain. He noted that supplying dangerous drugs like methamphetamine could not be perceived as an attempt to assist others.

The position of president of the NT chapter of the Mongols is clearly not one which you unwittingly fell into. It is a position you must have been willing to embrace. The Mongols are a well-organised, wide-spread, hierarchical, violent criminal organisation which you chose to join.

— Justice John BurnsIn sentencing, Supreme Court Justice John Burns described Burnett's role and the nature of the Mongols gang.

Both men will be eligible for parole by 2029. The Mongols are characterized as a "hierarchical, violent criminal organisation" that both men chose to join.

no doubt

— Justice John BurnsJustice Burns rejected claims of rehabilitation, stating he had "no doubt" each man's involvement in the illicit drug business was "motivated by a desire for financial gain."
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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