EXCLUSIVE: Gangland figure Kevin Farrugia – described as an associate of notorious drug kingpin Tony Mokbel – was allegedly at the centre of a violent brawl inside a Melbourne immigration centre that involved up to 17 men.
The Herald Sun can reveal new details about the brawl which broke out inside the Melbourne Immigration Detention Centre on Camp Road, Broadmeadows just after 6am on August 18, with at least four detainees stabbed, and others bashed in what was described as a “turf war”.
Sources said a group of Islander detainees understood to be siding with the convicted Maltese criminal clashed with Persian inmates allegedly aligned with another inmate known as “a guy from the UK”.
“There was a code call over the radio and then we saw officers running from everywhere into the compound,” sources said.
Prison-style knives known as “shivs” were used in the clash.
“All of them were sitting and then all of a sudden they went at each other and they had shivs,” sources said.
“There was blood everywhere in the compound.”
Centre staff searched rooms of the detainees the next day and found at least 60 makeshift weapons, with one measuring as long as 30cm, sources said.
Farrugia, a convicted criminal with links to Melbourne’s notorious Mokbel family, was currently being held at the centre.
Farrugia has more than 40 convictions for offences including kidnapping, drug trafficking, assault and firearms possession.
He shot to national prominence last year when a tribunal overturned the cancellation of his visa, allowing him to avoid deportation to Malta despite his extensive criminal history.
Farrugia had previously told a psychologist he was traumatised by witnessing Mokbel being stabbed in prison in 2019, when he cradled the bloodied gangland figure in his arms until paramedics arrived.
Ambulance Victoria confirmed after the incident that three men were treated at the scene and transported to hospital in a stable condition.
The detention centre is run by Secure Journeys, a subsidiary of US private prison company MTC (Management and Training Corporation).
Secure Journeys, which was awarded a $2.3b five-year contract in 2024 by the Albanese government, has been plagued by scandals at immigration detention centres across Australia since taking over onshore operations in early 2025.
Security failures at the MIDC have included escapes, stabbings, fire and the suicide of a Chinese national in July despite warnings of self-harm, prompting a response from its government.
A riot broke out at the centre in April last year, during which a 40-bed compound was set on fire.
It was claimed the violence broke out due to detainees’ frustrations over a lack of medical care and harsh conditions.
Among the high-profile long-term detainees who have been housed at the Broadmeadows facility include former world bodybuilding champion Gary Lewer and alleged mafia figure Francesco Madafferi.
Concerns have been raised about detainee welfare.
The blunders at the detention centres led Immigration Minister Tony Burke to hold an urgent meeting with MTC’s president in September last year.
Among the issues has been the company operating a “minimalist staffing model”.
The company has been fined by the federal government over its performance.
In the US, MTC operates private correctional and immigration facilities for the nation’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Human rights and civil rights organisations have criticised the company for operating facilities that are unsafe, overcrowded and neglect detainees’ medical needs.