The niece of notorious Melbourne drug kingpin Tony Mokbel was said goodbye to hundreds of mourners on Anzac Day.
Kalliopi ‘Beba’ Keana Mokbel, 25, died when her vehicle plowed into a tree on Southern Road in Heidelberg West at around 8:50pm last Sunday.
Mrs. Mokbel’s uncle, Tony, is serving a 30-year sentence for drug trafficking.
The notorious drug lord, who is fighting his conviction, did not apply to attend his niece’s funeral, which was held at Our Lady Of Lebanon Church in Thornbury – northeast of Melbourne’s CBD.
Mourners poured out of the church in their hundreds to pay their last respects to Mrs. Mokbel, who entered the church to the sound of drums and church bells.
Her father Horty was one of the coffin bearers and carried her coffin up a large ramp to her service.
Mrs. Mokbel was sent away in a traditional ceremony, with her coffin left open during the service.
The priest leading the mass told mourners that the church was decorated as if they were celebrating Mrs Mokbel’s wedding instead of her funeral.
Mrs. Mokbel’s white coffin was decorated with flowers and metallic roses completed the design.
Kalliopi ‘Beba’ Keana Mokbel was said goodbye to hundreds of mourners on Anzac Day
The Mokbel clan carry their loved one’s coffin to the church. They were accompanied by the sound of drums and bells
Balloons flew into the air as Mrs. Mokbel made her final journey
During the service, which was spoken in a mixture of English and Aramaic, hundreds of mourners lined up to offer their condolences to the Mokbel family as they stood beside the coffin.
At one point, Ms. Mokbel’s father was heard quietly asking his grieving family to “keep calm” as the emotions of the ceremony threatened to boil over.
One by one, the mourners paid their respects before filtering out into the sun, where Mrs. Mokbel made her final journey among a sea of white balloons.
Her hearse was escorted out of the parking lot by multiple wing-wing limousines.
“Beba mou, you have become our angel way too soon,” Mrs. Mokbel’s family wrote on a tribute card distributed to mourners.
“It is with a heavy heart that we must accept, and with a heavy heart that we will always have to adjust to your loss. With broken hearts we will love and cherish all our memories of you. Rest in peace. Our Beba forever.’
Limousines are waiting to take the Mokbel clan to the final resting place of their loved one
Tributes poured in for Ms Mokbel following the news of her passing last week.
“I’m going to miss your silly smile, your hour-long story times, your 100 snapchats you would send me every day, your presence, your love, and most of all you,” Odeta Lamé wrote alongside a series of photos of the couple.
“You called me your angel the other day and now you have become mine. I love you my twin flame and you will always have a special place in my heart.’
“You were such a light and made an impression in everyone’s life,” wrote Rini Menidis.
“You always stood up for me and stood by me. I always looked up to you like you were my big sister. You’ll be in my heart forever, my girl.’
“You’ve left too many people behind that I don’t know how to live without you,” Helena Katsouranis said.
“I thank God for the time I got to spend with you, not many people meet such a natural ray of sunshine as you.”
“The way your smile lit up the entire universe was infectious, you brought my mood to your level of joy in moments when I was with you,” said Josephine Fotiadis.
Drummers (dressed in white at left) escort Mrs. Mokbel’s coffin to her funeral service
Keana Mokbel (pictured) sadly died when her vehicle plowed into a tree on Southern Road in Heidelberg West, Melbourne’s northeast at around 8:50pm Sunday night on Southern Road in Heidelberg West, Melbourne’s northeast.
Savva Pappas said Mrs. Mokbel was “one of the most beautiful people God has put on this planet” and that his heart was broken to pieces.
Our Lady of Lebanon, a church in Thornbury, Melbourne’s inner city, posted a tribute to Ms Mokbel on its Facebook page on Tuesday.
Dear parishioners. Sadly, a member of our community passed away here in Melbourne; Kalliopi Keana Mokbel,” it read.
Her funeral is still being finalized. We will confirm once we have the details.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Kalliopi’s family at this difficult time. May she rest in eternal peace.’
Tony Mokbel, known for his involvement in Melbourne’s ‘Underbelly’ drug wars, has been made aware of the incident and has spoken to family (pictured in February 2006)
In one of Ms Mokbel’s latest posts, she shared a short video of herself driving one-handed while pretending to swerve the car before correcting course and smiling at the camera to indicate she was joking.
“All life flashed before my eyes,” the glamorous Ms. Mokbel wrote along with the video posted in late February.
In another post days earlier, Ms. Mokbel shared a photo of herself taken in a car’s rear-view mirror while sitting in the passenger seat.
In addition to the photo, she wrote the lyrics to the song The Color Violet by R&B artist Tory Lanez.
“I gave my heart… a speeding car that went 90 in the rain,” she wrote.
“She took my heart, filled it with nothing but pain… The beat in my dance is not for romance.”
Victoria Police said a report would be prepared for the coroner.