A 37-year-old Somerville man has been arrested as part of a Taskforce Hawk investigation into alleged secret commissions, fraud and drug trafficking linked to Victoria’s construction industry.
Victoria Police arrested five men and executed six search warrants on Monday, 24 August, including at a property in Somerville.
Searches were also conducted in Chirnside Park, Westbury, Gisborne and Powelltown, as well as an office in Melbourne’s CBD.
Somerville Man Released Pending Further Enquiries
The Somerville man arrested in the Taskforce Hawk investigation was released pending further enquiries and has not been charged.
Police also arrested men aged 36, 46, 27 and 56 during the operation.
A 36-year-old Chirnside Park man was charged with possessing a Schedule 4 drug and bailed to appear at Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on 10 November.
A 46-year-old Westbury man was charged with failing to properly store a longarm firearm and ammunition. He was bailed to appear at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on 11 January 2027.
Vehicles And Devices Seized
Police said detectives seized four CFMEU-registered vehicles, 10 mobile phones, laptops, documents, iPads, USB devices and a Schedule 4 poison during the searches.
A .22 rifle and ammunition were also seized from the Westbury property.
Victoria Police has not identified which locations the CFMEU-registered vehicles or most other seized items were recovered from.
The operation involved Taskforce Hawk, the Cybercrime Squad, VIPER Taskforce, the Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit and Latrobe Valley detectives.
Detective Acting Superintendent Jamie Walker said police would continue targeting alleged criminal activity within the construction industry.
“We will continue to target serious and organised crime entities and dismantle corrupt and criminal business activities in the construction industry.”
The Taskforce Hawk investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report online.
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