Alleged Ironside kingpin granted bail but accused drug courier, chemist were refused

An Ironside accused, alleged to have been the main pipeline of meth from a bikie gang to his own network of dealers has been granted bail, but two more accused remain locked up.

An Ironside accused alleged to have acquired large amounts of methamphetamine from a bikie gang before shifting it to his own extensive criminal syndicate has been released on bail.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been released on home detention bail following a Supreme Court appeal but was rearrested earlier this month as his charges were drastically increased.

During a hearing in the Adelaide Magistrates Court last week, a prosecutor said the man’s charges had increased from a lone count of trafficking a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug to 32 charges, including money laundering.

The prosecutor told Magistrate John Wells that the charges related to 15 different consignments of methamphetamine into South Australia.

“In all cases the allegations are the same: that the accused has financed the acquisition of various kilogram quantities of methamphetamine.” he said.

“On a number of occasions those purchases came from the Comanchero bikie gang, who are themselves accused on a separate charge of bringing the drugs into South Australia.

“At a later time, in the third quarter of 2020 onwards, that supply seems to have come directly from interstate suppliers.”

The prosecutor said that the accused had made a trip to Sydney in 2020 which was a turning point in the operation.

“From that point on what is described in the messaging is that he then gets a direct supply of methamphetamine, which he distributes around his network in South Australia,” he said.

Anthony Allen QC, for the man, said his client had been a model prisoner while on home-detention bail and should be released on the same strict conditions again.

“He was aware of what was coming after hearing there would be more charges in a previous hearing, yet he remained and was a model bailee,” he said.

“He has been demonstrably compliant.”

During a hearing on Thursday, Mr Wells allowed the man to be released on strict home-detention bail.

In a separate bail hearing, another man, whose name is suppressed, also applied for bail.

He was accused of being responsible for the cutting of a 30kg and a 20kg haul of methamphetamine with an inert powder to increase its size for sale.

A prosecutor said the man’s criminal history “looms large over the proceedings” because of a history of drug trafficking offences.

He was refused bail in the Adelaide Magistrates Court.

In a third bail hearing, Michael Quirk, 29, who is charged with serious drug offending, was refused bail because of a history of offending while under supervision and the presence of drugs at his proposed home-detention address.

All three men will appear in court again in February.