A worker was confronted at Centenary Bride in Brisbane by some men connected to Comancheros bikie gang. The investigation into union behavior in Queensland continued and was played out on the site of a construction job site on the outskirts of Brisbane. Records from the flight, phone calls and witnesses have all helped paint an unsettling picture: Three men connected to the Comancheros bikie gang were traveling interstate to get their revenge on a crane operator who was a union delegate.
The CFMEU Inquiry has already heard from numerous witnesses
The commission of inquiry examining behavior related to the CFMEU and construction industry more generally has been informed that Bemir Saracevic, Krstomir Bjelogrlic and Mark Ahern arrived in Brisbane on the morning of June 5, 2024. Senior Counsel Assisting Eddy Gisonda KC presented a timeline of events, based on the tendered flight and phone documents, which indicated that the three landed sometime around 11.20am and proceeded to a large infrastructure project which was already under way.
Saracevic, known to associates as Benji, previously held the position of national president within the Comancheros. Bjelogrlic was described as his business partner, while Ahern had served as treasurer for the Comancheros. All three, the inquiry heard, arrived on site with no obvious connection to the project beyond the confrontation that followed.
The Confrontation at Centenary Bridge
The men’s destination was the Centenary Bridge upgrade, a site that had already become a flashpoint amid tension between the CFMEU and the project’s managing contractor. According to evidence given to the inquiry, the group arrived at Centenary Bridge and approached crane operator Cody Raymond at around 12.30pm.
Raymond, who serves as a CFMEU delegate, described noticing four men making aggressive gestures near a colleague before one of them turned his attention toward him. In a workplace interview tendered as evidence, Raymond recalled being challenged over an earlier dispute and then subjected to threats so graphic they left him struggling to process what had occurred.
BMD’s Role and the Security Contract under Scrutiny
Much of the inquiry’s focus has centered on BMD, the contractor responsible for the project, and its decision to hire a private security operator after CFMEU campaigns disrupted work at the site. Gisonda told the inquiry that Gary Samuel, who ran the security firm engaged by BMD, had been in regular phone contact throughout the morning with senior BMD management as well as with Saracevic himself.
Phone data placed Samuel near Brisbane Airport at roughly the same time the three men touched down, prompting Commissioner Stuart Wood to ask directly whether Samuel had picked the men up and driven them to the site. Gisonda confirmed that inference was open to the inquiry based on the evidence presented; noting Samuel had also been in contact with senior figures connected to the Comancheros in the lead-up to the visit.
BMD general manager Rob Pickard gave evidence denying any prior knowledge that the men were travelling to Brisbane or that a confrontation was being planned. He told the inquiry that Raymond approached him after the incident and described being “accosted” by a member of the Comancheros, prompting Pickard to say he would look into the matter. Pickard also denied signaling to traffic controllers or gesturing toward the men while on site, despite CCTV footage placing him nearby around the time of the confrontation. The ABC is not alleging Pickard engaged in any wrongdoing.
Why the Case Matters Beyond One Worksite
This incident isn’t the only one that’s happened in Queensland. Organized crime figures have been seen intersecting with local business and private organizational matters. Outlaw motorcycle clubs like Comancheros bikie gang have been seen involved in matters from which they are removed. Their interruption can be noticed outside the areas where they usually do their criminal activities. There is plenty of evidence found in some cases that arrangements between private security firms and outlaws like Comancheros are increasing
The inquiry has also heard broader accusations that police failed to adequately respond to aggressive conduct during union disputes tied to the project, raising further questions about oversight on major government-funded infrastructure work. With additional senior figures from BMD expected to give evidence as proceedings continue in Brisbane, the inquiry appears far from finished unpacking exactly how a Melbourne-based bikie network came to intersect with a Queensland construction dispute.
For now, the picture emerging is one of escalating tension on a project meant to deliver public infrastructure, but which instead became the setting for threats serious enough to warrant scrutiny at the highest levels of a state inquiry.