An employee of a Big Build labour hire company has been charged with drug trafficking by the police taskforce combatting alleged organised crime and corruption in Victoria’s construction sector.
On Monday, Taskforce Hawk detectives arrested and charged the 36-year-old employee of A2B Personnel after seizing drugs and false identity documents as part of an ongoing probe into alleged drug trafficking on Melbourne construction sites.
Hawk is investigating if the Melbourne man was dealing drugs while working on Big Build sites.
It specialises in employing indigenous labour hire workers on major civil projects under the Labor government’s social procurement policy. A2B is one of a number of labour hire companies strongly backed by the CFMEU.
In remarks to the royal commission on Monday, counsel assisting Chris Young, KC, referred to a report from the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority, marked cabinet-in-confidence which referenced that issues with the social procurement policy were raised with then minister Jacinta Allan in the context of industrial relations issues.
He quoted the report as saying: “The Australian Industry Group has written to Minister Allan concerning social procurement obligations and concerns on industry scale. This is likely to be in the context of the CFMEU push into traffic control.”
In a statement, Victoria Police said the A2B employee was arrested on Sunday around midday whilst “driving a labour hire company vehicle”.
“The vehicle was stationary and blocking the entire intersection of Dudley Street and Wurundjeri Way,” the statement said.
“A search of the vehicle allegedly located a traffickable quantity of methylamphetamine, as well as ecstasy, Diazepam, GHB, $2000 cash, fraudulent identifications and drug paraphernalia.”
Police said the man was not fit to be interviewed and was taken to hospital.
A search warrant was then executed at a city apartment on Monday where police seized prescription drugs, counterfeit money and false identity documents including drivers’ licences, proof of age cards, Medicare cards and student ID cards.
Police said they would allege the man was making false driver’s licences and proof of age cards.
The man was bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 23 April, police said, while a 30-year-old woman also present during the search is expected to be charged with three counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Police said Hawk detectives were proactively targeting “organised crime associated with the sector, including a focus on any individuals employed within the construction industry who have known links to outlaw motorcycle gangs”.
Over the last 12 months, Hawk has made dozens of arrests of construction industry players and bikie gang members for alleged extortion, drug trafficking and fraud.
The timing of the latest arrest – during the first week of the Royal Commission’s public hearing – underscores the systemic problems within Victoria’s construction sector just weeks out from the November 28 election.
Nick McKenzie is an Age investigative journalist who has three times been named the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year. A winner of 20 Walkley Awards, including the Gold Walkley, he investigates politics, business, foreign affairs and criminal justice.Connect via email.From our partners
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