Ironside’s big freeze: Prosecutors apply to seize property, vehicles and valuables worth millions of dollars from AN0M accused

Luxury houses, prestige cars, jet skis, diamond-encrusted Rolexes ... see the incredible treasure trove police are chasing from Operation Ironside’s alleged villains.

Alleged drug traffickers Nathan John Ralph, Apostle Broikos and Roman Ilario Baftiroski, along with some of the vehicles, alcohol and watches that law enforcement authorities have applied to be frozen while Operation Ironside’s criminal proceedings take their course.

More than $27m worth of cars, homes, watches and cash allegedly linked to Operation Ironside is the subject of restraining order applications in South Australia’s courts, The Advertiser can reveal.

Months before police were strapping on bulletproof vests and ratcheting handcuffs on numerous accused on June 7 – Ironside resolution day – they were sitting down behind keyboards to attack the assets of those alleged to be involved in the drugs trade.

More than a dozen applications were lodged with the Supreme Court, many ahead of resolution day, in order to freeze and restrain assets before they could be disposed of.

The applications provide an insight into the lives of the Ironside accused. Some had allegedly accumulated multiple homes, cars and motorcycles, boats and jet skis, firearms, expensive alcohol, luxury watches and substantial cryptocurrency holdings.

The interactive below shows active asset restraint applications lodged in the Supreme, District and Magistrates courts. Several accused are the subject of suppression orders imposed by the courts – their properties are not identified by suburb to protect their identities.

* Photos are of the actual seized items unless marked with “File image”. Houses have not been identified for privacy reasons.

Apostle Broikos, the youngest accused, allegedly had 15 watches – many of them Rolexes worth tens of thousands of dollars each – in his bedroom at his parents’ house.

Court documents claim one alleged drug trafficker had amassed a $7.7m real estate empire, as well as a Lamborghini, a Mercedes-Benz and two Harley Davidsons.

Another accused, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, had a large collection of wine and spirits worth at least $7000 seized from his house.

Nathan Ralph allegedly had multiple large bottles of vodka seized from his bedroom while another accused had 19 assorted and unspecified bottles of wine seized.

Apostle Broikos allegedly owned multiple expensive watches that are the subject of a restraint application.

Many accused were the sole directors and shareholders of businesses which held significant assets in their names.

The applications were made by the Director of Public Prosecutions for accused facing state charges, and the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police for those facing federal charges.

Homes, cars and bank accounts were the main target of the first round of applications, with additional restraint orders sought on items confiscated during raids on June 7.

The restraint orders were made under legislation which allows for the assets of people accused of serious drug offending to be frozen while criminal proceedings are under way.

The criminal assets confiscation legislation requires courts to grant restraint applications if a person has been, or is going to be, charged with a serious drug offence.

The orders extend to property which belongs to the accused, such as houses, cars and bank accounts in their names.

However, property in the name of companies or other people can also be restrained if it is under the “effective control” of the accused.

Several of the accused were found to be in the possession of cars with the car keys found in their homes, though the vehicles were not registered in their names.

Those vehicles became the subject of restraint applications.

Restraining orders on houses do not mean that the accused or their family are evicted, only that they must maintain the property to ensure it does not lose any value.

Many vehicles were seized during the raids and are being held by police.

Some were restrained by the courts while others were subject to criminal asset confiscation proceedings.

Other vehicles which are either restrained or the target or restraining applications are still in the possession of companies or people linked to the accused.

Many vehicles, watches and bank accounts remain contested by counsel for the Ironside accused.

The amount of restraining applications were so numerous a special list before the Supreme Court was established on Friday mornings.

Originally published as Ironside’s big freeze: Prosecutors apply to seize property, vehicles and valuables worth millions of dollars from AN0M accused