Former Mongols gang leader sentenced to 13 years for meth supply and extortion in Northern Territory

The former leader of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang's Northern Territory chapter has been sentenced to 13 years behind bars for his role in supplying methamphetamine across the territory and making threats to recover drug debts.

Martin Burnett, 66, who was the president of the local Mongols chapter between 2021 and 2023, pleaded guilty in the NT Supreme Court today to extortion and supplying a commercial quantity of methamphetamine with a street value of almost $800,000.

Burnett's co-accused and Mongols associate, 57-year-old Filippos "Fatboy" Magoulias, also pleaded guilty to drug and extortion charges.

The pair have been in custody since their arrest along with almost 40 other Mongols members following a targeted police operation in 2023.

The court heard Burnett and Magoulias helped supply street-level drug dealers with large quantities of methamphetamine, sometimes sourced from Melbourne, which were then sold across the Top End.

Court documents obtained by the ABC detail secretly taped phone calls between the two men, which captured them discussing interstate drug deals and plans to blackmail people who owed them money.

In 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.

In 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".

A 'hierarchical, violent, criminal organisation'

In sentencing, Supreme Court Justice John Burns described Burnett as being at the "apex" of the gang's NT operations.

"The position of president of the NT chapter of the Mongols is clearly not one which you unwittingly fell into," he said.

"It is a position you must have been willing to embrace.

The court heard both men had claimed to psychologists while in custody that they had learned from their mistakes and were committed to avoiding drugs once they were released.

In one interview with a clinical psychologist, the court heard Burnett said his childhood exposure to domestic violence motivated him to become a man who could "protect others".

But Justice Burns rejected those claims, saying he had "no doubt" each man's involvement in the illicit drug business was "motivated by a desire for financial gain".

"Engagement in the supply of large quantities of dangerous drugs like methamphetamine could not in any way be perceived as attempting to assist another person," he said.

In sentencing Magoulias, Justice Burns said while he was not a patched member of the Mongols, he played a "vital role" in the drug supply and was a "trusted confidante" of those within the gang.

Burnett was sentenced to 13 years in prison backdated to his arrest in 2023 and will be eligible for parole in 2029.

Magoulias was sentenced to eight years behind bars and will be eligible for parole in March next year after time served.

Sentence the end of 'a long, hard road'

Detective Sergeant Kenneth Bradshaw, who heads NT Police's gang investigation unit, said investigators were pleased with the result.

"It's been a long, hard road to get to this point," he said.

Sergeant Bradshaw said he hoped the result would send a message to other gang members in the NT.

"We're hoping it will have a big impact on OMCG's in the Territory to know that they are being targeted," he said.