Drug lord and accused murderer Tony Mokbel has arrived back in Australia after being extradited from Greece.

Mokbel has been returned to Australia to face two murder charges, a string of drugs charges and to begin serving a nine-year prison sentence for importing cocaine.

The white chartered Gulfstream jet carrying Mokbel landed amid light rain and intense security at Tullamarine airport in Melbourne about 1pm Saturday after a 21-hour flight from Athens.

The jet left the Greek capital Friday afternoon Australian time and had refuelling stopovers in the Maldives and Port Hedland in Western Australia.

An official at Male airport in the Maldives said the jet arrived there just before midnight (AEST) and left at 1.12am (AEST) Saturday bound for Port Hedland.

Mokbel was accompanied by a team of Victorian and Australian Federal Police officers on the flight which was blanketed in secrecy and security amid fears there are contracts out on his life.

He is expected to be taken to high security Barwon Prison - where fellow underworld boss Carl Williams is currently serving 35 years for three gangland murders.

Mokbel, 42, was extradited from Greece where he was captured last year after fleeing Australia in early 2006 while on trial for drug smuggling.

He must now begin the sentence he received in absentia while he was on the run.

Mokbel also faces a further 15 charges now he is home, including two for the murders of underworld figure Lewis Moran and drug dealer Michael Marshall and a string of drugs charges.

He could face the Supreme Court in Melbourne as early as Monday.

A seven-month legal bid in Greece to avoid extradition finally failed when the Greek government last week signed the order to send him back to Australia.

Friday Mokbel was taken from prison to Athens International airport.

He boarded the luxury Gulfstream dressed in a grey T-shirt and khaki pants, accompanied by police while armed security patrolled the tarmac and took off at 4pm (AEST).

His former lawyer Mirko Bagaric said Mokbel deserved to have his appeal against his extradition heard by the European Court of Human Rights and reiterated his concerns he will not receive a fair trial in Australia.

"I spoke to him a few days ago and he was focussing on the appeal in Europe, he is in two minds about returning: he wants to return but does not think he will get a fair trial," Prof Bagaric says.

Mokbel says he will not face a fair trial in Australia because government officials, including Victorian premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby have spoken publicly of his guilt before he was given a chance to present his case in court.

Prof Bagaric also said after being criticised for not handling the gangland war, police have used Mokbel as a "trophy", also jeopardising his chances for a fair trial.

"The police were criticised enormously for not being effective enough during the underworld war," he says.

"The gloves are off and so are the normal safeguards, it's a shambles."

Mokbel was arrested in the Definia Cafe in the Athens suburb of Glyfada on June 5, 2007, just after ordering a coffee and while wearing a wig.

He had been on the run for 15 months, fleeing Australia on March 20, 2006, using a false passport under the name Stephen Papas.

According to various rumours, he fled via Malaysia, Turkey, Colombia, South Africa, Egypt, Lebanon and Dubai before arriving in Greece.

His girlfriend Danielle McGuire joined him in Greece where their daughter Renate was born.

Stephen Papas is listed as Renate's father on her birth certificate.

Ms McGuire remained in Athens when her boyfriend flew out Friday and will have to make her own way back to Australia.