Mokbel a ‘soldier’, says stepdaughter

TONY Mokbel’s stepdaughter describes him as a “soldier”, saying yesterday she was confident he would survive Monday’s savage prison stabbing.

Brittany McGuire, the daughter of Mokbel’s former partner Danielle, said the kingpin was “strong” and she believed he would recover from the attack.

“My dad is strong. It would take more than this to take him down,” she said from her hair salon in Port Melbourne. “He is a soldier.”

Mokbel remained in a critical condition last night at the Royal Melbourne Hospital after the vicious prison attack. Danielle McGuire spent the day at his hospital bedside.

Her daughter Brittany said the pair wished him a quick recovery. “We just want him to get better,” Brittany said.

Asked if she knew the motive behind the attack, Ms McGuire said she had no idea but that he was a “nice guy” and had mates behind bars.

Mokbel is regarded as being among the most powerful organised crime figures in the state, building a $100 million drug syndicate at the height of his outlaw career. Danielle McGuire fled to Greece with Mokbel in 2006 while he was on trial for importing 2kg of cocaine.

While abroad she gave birth to their daughter, Renate, named after Mokbel’s sister-in-law.

In 2007, the drug kingpin was arrested and extradited back to Melbourne where he has remained behind bars ever since.

McGuire and Mokbel split in 2011.