Professional boxer Eleftherios ‘Terry’ Nickolas charged with manufacturing drugs by Operation Ironside detectives

A professional boxer who represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games has become the 10th person charged as part of Operation Ironside with running a massive Adelaide meth lab.

Professional boxer Eleftherios “Terry” Nickolas who represented Australia at the 2018 Commonwealth Games has become the latest arrest by detectives attached to Operation Ironside.

Mr Nickolas, 29, who mainly resides in Sydney but travels back and forth to Adelaide, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with manufacturing a large commercial quantity of methamphetamine.

He becomes the latest person charged over a commercial meth lab being operated out of a Morphett Vale home.

Police allege Mr Nickolas is a member of the Comanchero Motorcycle Gang and helped other members of the gang by sourcing precursor chemicals to make large batches of methamphetamine.

On Wednesday, Harry Patsouris, for Mr Nickolas, asked for his client to be released on home detention bail.

A prosecutor told Magistrate Edward Stratton-Smith that he was not opposed to the release under strict home detention bail conditions.

Boxer Terry Nickolas in 2018 ahead of representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games. He was charged on Tuesday by Ironside detectives with manufacturing a large quantity of methamphetamine at a Morphett Vale drug lab. Picture: James Elsby.

The court heard that Mr Nickolas was facing the possibility of further charges being laid – both in Adelaide and Sydney as millions of messages intercepted from the encrypted AN0M app are analysed.

Mr Nickolas will appear in court again next week.

He finished fifth in the 69kg welterweight division at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and once told The Advertiser he had aspirations of competing in the Olympic Games.

As recently as two weeks ago, Mr Nickolas was competing as the undercard bout for the highly publicised Kambosos-Haney fight.

He is a member of boxer George Kambosos’ Team Ferocious.

Mr Nickolas had become the 10th person charged after the discovery of an industrial-sized clandestine lab hidden in a Morphett Vale house on August 18, 2020.

Terry Nickolas makes weight during the weigh-in for the World Lightweight Championship bout between George Kambosos and Devin Haney at Margaret Court Arena in June 2022. A fortnight later he was arrested. Picture: Darrian Traynor.

At the house police discovered 11kg of ephedrine, 16kg of cutting agent, 8kg of iodine, 238g of methamphetamine and 5kg of methamphetamine in an oil form.

In court documents previously released to The Advertiserprosecutors have alleged that members of the Comanchero were co-ordinating the running of the lab and sourcing the chemicals.

Apostle Broikos arrives at the Adelaide Magistrates Court where he is facing charges in relation to the Ironside crimes. Picture: Brenton Edwards

A cook was allegedly employed to manufacture large quantities of methamphetamine and would on the prosecution case be paid $3000 per kilo of the drug.

Other members of the alleged syndicate, including Apostle Broikos, the youngest Ironside arrest, are accused of helping to supply chemicals and materials to the lab.

Matthew Collins is accused of being a cook at the house and has been charged with two counts of manufacturing a large commercial quantity of methamphetamine.

Blake Culbertson and Nameth Khan are also accused of playing a role in the lab.

Several others have been charged, including men alleged to be senior figures in the Comancheros, but their identities are suppressed to protect upcoming trials.

Mr Broikos and the other accused have yet to enter pleas.