Former Comanchero bikie boss handed 24-year jail sentence for meth importation into WA

Former Comanchero bikie boss ‘Mr Ice Guy’ has been hit with a 24-year jail sentence for orchestrating a 56kg meth operation into Western Australia from the east cost in a shipping container.

Perth father-of-two, Nikola Maksimovic, 35, went on the run in 2019 after he was outed as the head of one of the city’s major drug syndicates.  

Following a lengthy investigation, the notorious underworld figure was told in court on Wednesday that he would not be eligible for release for at least 22 years.

Jason Gray, 48 and Quinn Newton, 44, the two men who Maksimovic sought out to smuggle the drugs into Perth, were both issued a 20-year jail sentence. 

The meth had an alleged purity of around 80 per cent and estimated street value of between $4.5million and $6.5million, The West reported.

The drugs were packaged in one-kilogram bricks that were wrapped in rubbish bags, put in plastic tubs, and then concealed at the back of a shipping container behind carpet underlay, insulation and bubble wrap.

The meth (pictured) had an alleged purity of around 80 per cent and estimated street value of between $4.5m and $6.5m

However, days before the operation was scheduled to go down, the police, who had been following the movement of the three men, secretly swapped the drugs for a harmless substance.  

Mr Gray was recorded on police surveillance the following day, returning to the container with a hired van unloading the three tubs into the back.

Covert officers from Operation Trident Coyote followed the van to Bunnings in Belmont, where Gray left the keys on a rear tyre and went inside shortly before another van pulled up alongside.

The court was told another syndicate member, Jamie Parker, grabbed the keys, swapped the tubs into his van, and left behind more than $142,000 in cash.

Meth (pictured) that was recovered by police during their investigation that stopped the importation into Western Australia 

The Supreme Court was told that in encrypted phone messages between the various drug syndicate members, Maksimovic was referred to as ‘E.B.P’.

This was short for ‘Ethnic Brad Pitt’.

It was discovered that ‘Ethnic Brad Pitt’ called the shots over encrypted phone communication. 

This communication was also used to flag with syndicate members that police had descended on the home of the rollover witness, where the meth was delivered.

Maksimovic fled the country to Thailand, leaving other members hiding in hotel rooms.  

He did not return back to Australia until eight months later, even though he had a wife and children at home. 

Mr Maksimovic (pictured) fled the country to Thailand, leaving other members hiding in hotel rooms, and not returning to Australia until eight months later

He thought he had stayed away long enough for the heat from police to be off him. 

However, Maksimovic contacted his wife while he was away using the handle ‘gingerbreadman’ on encrypted messages.

‘Run, run as fast as you can, you’ll never catch me, I’m the gingerbreadman,’ Maksimovic wrote.

Maksimovic will be eligable for release in least 2043.