Three arrested as Melbourne detectives probe $663k blackmail allegations
A former senior CFMEU official is among three people arrested in Melbourne as police investigate blackmail allegations.
Three men were arrested as police searched three properties on Thursday morning, according to Victoria Police.
They were identified as a 32-year-old former CFMEU official and patched Bandidos member, a second 32-year-old Bandidos member and a 55-year-old man from Mernda. Police said the trio remained in police custody while the blackmail investigation by Taskforce Hawk detectives continued.
Taskforce Hawk is a unit dedicated to targeting criminal behavior linked to the construction industry.
Police video of the arrest of the two men, both 32, shows them being taken from properties in Eltham and Watsonia in the north-east of the city. “The investigation relates to allegations of blackmail that took place at a property in Brooklyn on January 19, 2026, when the victim was demanded to pay $663,000,” a police spokesman said.
Speaking generally, Victoria Police Crime Command Commander Paul O’Halloran said criminal behavior in the construction industry was “unacceptable”.
“We will be relentless, continuing to target serious and organized criminal enterprises and root out corrupt and criminal business activity in the construction industry,” he said.
“If you are threatened, extorted or blackmailed, contact us, please come forward and we will support and protect you.”
