Two men charged and drugs, guns and cars linked to CFMEU seized as police investigate alleged corruption

Taskforce Hawk Strikes at CFMEU: Five Arrested, Assets Seized in Widening Construction-Industry Corruption Probe

Wanderstayfinder.com – Victorian police moved against the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union on Monday, arresting five men and sweeping through six properties — including the union’s state headquarters — in what investigators describe as a deepening inquiry into secret commissions, fraud, and drug trafficking embedded in the building sector. Two of those arrested have since been formally charged, while detectives seized a cache of vehicles, firearms, narcotics, and digital devices tied to the CFMEU.

What Police Found and Who Was Charged

Among the items taken into custody were four vehicles registered to the CFMEU, ten mobile phones, a Schedule 4 poison, a .22-calibre rifle with accompanying ammunition, laptops, iPads, paper documents, and multiple USB storage drives. Police confirmed that no arrests were made at the union’s headquarters itself, and CFMEU administrators stated that none of the organisation’s officials faced charges.

The two men brought before the courts were a 36-year-old resident of Chirnside Park, charged with possessing a Schedule 4 drug and granted bail to attend Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on 10 November, and a 46-year-old from Westbury, charged with failing to store a long-arm firearm and its ammunition in accordance with the Firearms Act 1996. His bail condition requires him to appear at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on 11 January. The remaining three men were released pending further inquiries.

Understanding “Secret Commissions”

Police explained the central concept underpinning the investigation in a written statement:

“A secret commission refers to corruptly giving, receiving or soliciting an undisclosed financial benefit, reward, payment or kickback.”

In practical terms, a secret commission is an off-the-books payment — often routed through intermediaries — that distorts who wins a tender, who gets hired on a site, or who controls a subcontract. For workers on the ground, such arrangements can mean inflated costs passed down to employers, reduced wages, or unsafe shortcuts taken to protect the financial interests of those in the middle. Police added that the investigation into these alleged commissions “remains ongoing.”

Taskforce Hawk: From Operation to Standing Taskforce

The probe is being run by Taskforce Hawk, a dedicated unit within Victoria’s organised crime division. It originated as Operation Hawk, launched in July 2024 in response to a wave of fresh allegations of serious and violent criminal behaviour linked to the construction industry. The following year it was elevated to Taskforce Hawk, giving it a permanent mandate rather than a time-limited operation.

According to police, the taskforce’s remit extends beyond any single scandal. It assesses new intelligence and evidence relating to criminal conduct in the sector, proactively targets organised crime networks associated with construction, and pays particular attention to individuals employed in the industry who maintain known links to outlaw motorcycle gangs. Investigators are also opening channels with industry stakeholders to gather intelligence and are coordinating with a range of law-enforcement partners, regulators, and government authorities.

Police Call for Community Information

Acting Superintendent Jamie Walker, who leads the organised crime division, issued a direct appeal to the public:

“Criminal conduct, involving corruption, intimidation and violence within the construction industry is unacceptable. We will continue to target serious and organised crime entities and dismantle corrupt and criminal business activities in the construction industry.”

Walker urged anyone holding information — no matter how trivial it might seem — to come forward, emphasising that even small details can help map the financial and social networks behind alleged corruption.

CFMEU Response and Internal Reform

The union’s administrator, Michael Crosby, said the CFMEU was cooperating fully with police and framed the investigation as evidence that the sector needs tighter oversight:

“Criminals and bad actors in construction remain a major threat to the workers which is why we need greater regulation and scrutiny across the sector. This administration has undertaken unprecedented reform and anyone associated with criminal elements will have absolutely no place in this union’s future.”

The CFMEU represents workers across construction, forestry, and maritime industries in Victoria and has long been a powerful voice in state industrial relations. Its involvement in a corruption probe of this scale raises questions about how deeply embedded illicit financial flows may be in a sector that employs tens of thousands of tradespeople and where union membership has historically been near-universal on major projects.

Political Fallout and the Royal Commission

The unfolding scandal has had consequences well beyond the police station. It was a leading contributor to the ousting of former Victorian premier Jacinta Allan, who left office last month amid mounting pressure over the construction-industry corruption allegations. Her successor, Ben Carroll, announced a royal commission into the sector last week, signalling that the state government intends to examine systemic failures — regulatory gaps, enforcement weaknesses, and the intersection of organised crime with public infrastructure spending — through a formal, independent inquiry.

For workers on Victorian building sites, the combination of a standing police taskforce, a royal commission, and internal union reform represents the most sustained multi-front response to construction-sector corruption in the state’s recent history. Whether those measures will actually dismantle the networks Taskforce Hawk is pursuing remains to be seen, but the scale of Monday’s operation — six properties searched, five men arrested, and a union headquarters swept through — suggests investigators believe the evidence trail extends well beyond the two men now facing court.