‘Home sweet home’: Operation Ironside accused Apostle Broikos revels in freedom after being granted home detention bail

A Burnside teenager charged in the Operation Ironside sting has been released on home detention – and posted a photo with his ankle bracelet saying “home sweet home”.

The youngest South Australian arrested as part of Operation Ironside has been released on home detention bail after prosecutors withdrew an application seeking a Supreme Court review of the decision.

On Monday, Magistrate John Wells granted 18-year-old Apostle Broikos release on home detention bail “with a great amount of hesitation”.

At the time, prosecutors opposed the application because, they said, he could continue offending “wholly undetected”.

Social media photos of Apostle Broikos, the youngest person arrested in South Australia as part of Operation Ironside.

Apostle Broikos back at home, with his ankle bracelet, in a picture he posted to Snapchat.

They indicated to the court they would seek a Supreme Court review of the decision, meaning Mr Broikos would be remanded in custody until an outcome of the review.

On Wednesday the Supreme Court confirmed the application for review has been discontinued, meaning Mr Broikos, who lives in Burnside and is a recent graduate of St Ignatius College, could be released on home detention bail.

Prosecutors allege he was “the distributor of each and every AN0M handset used by those associated with the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang”. They also allege he had wiped at least 10 of the devices.

Mr Broikos, of Burnside, is charged with manufacturing a large commercial quantity of methylamphetamine with multiple co-accused over a clandestine laboratory at Morphett Vale.

He is next due to appear in court on Thursday, but is excused from attending in person.

On Tuesday, AN0M messages allegedly exchanged between Mr Broikos and an associate were read in court.

A prosecutor told the court a clandestine lab in Morphett Vale was raided on August 18.

The court heard Mr Broikos’s associate, who police allege is one of the managers and facilitators of the drug lab, messaged him the day after the raid.

“Hey man, there were raids last night, not sure if blue ok but looking like he’s not. Unknown raided as well,” the message said.

The court heard “blue” had been linked to “the cook” of the operation, Matthew Collins, who has since pleaded guilty to manufacturing a commercial quantity of drugs.

“Unknown” had been linked to another co-accused, who the prosecution alleges was involved in supplying materials to the clandestine lab, alongside Mr Broikos.

Mr Broikos then allegedly replied: “I got my other mate who’s done one drop holding those liquids – he was meant to see blue Thursday but blue stopped it.”

The associate then allegedly asked Mr Broikos to “wipe blue’s ASAP”.

The prosecutor alleged Mr Broikos had wiped at least 10 AN0M phones upon request, as well as being “the distributor of each and every AN0M handset used by those associated with the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang”.

Social media photos of Apostle Broikos, the youngest person arrested in South Australia as part of Operation Ironside.

The court was told Mr Broikos was also one of eight people allegedly involved in transporting 10kg of methamphetamine from NSW to SA.

The truck – driven by John Stevenson, 25, who last week pleaded guilty to trafficking in a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug – was intercepted at Yamba, in the eastern Riverland, on May 19, 2021.

It is claimed Mr Broikos messaged the associate discussing the drugs coming to the state, saying: “He’s good for tomorrow. Just pick up and drop off? How many kgs?”

The associate allegedly replied: “Pick up and hold for now then drop off in singles”, to which Mr Broikos said: “Ok easy, so whole lot?”

The associate then allegedly asked Mr Broikos to “pick up whole lot, but probably only drop two or three at a time”, to which he replied: “Yep, ok. all good. Let me know when.”

“It will be alleged that is (the associate) asking and directing Apostle Broikos to take receipt of the 10kg of methamphetamine,” the prosecutor told the court.

Originally published as ‘Home sweet home’: Operation Ironside accused Apostle Broikos revels in freedom after being granted home detention bail