The true story behind the cop who was arrested for drug smuggling | Four Corners documentary

A decade-long investigation has uncovered explosive new evidence suggesting that corrupt former NSW Crime Commission assistant director Mark Standen’s criminality was far more extensive than the public was led to believe.

Standen is the most senior crime fighter in the country ever to be convicted for drug importation.

Now sources and official documents indicate he protected criminals, sabotaged investigations, and is believed to have helped facilitate multiple imports of illegal drugs.

Investigative reporter Janine Cohen has been following Standen’s case for 14 years, uncovering new details that challenge the official narrative.

Now, in his first ever on-camera interview, Standen insists he is innocent — but law enforcement colleagues and others who knew him tell a different story.

As calls grow for a deeper inquiry, Four Corners exposes the full extent of a betrayal that shook Australia’s justice system.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Mark Standen
00:58 – Adam Watt
02:05 – Decade-long investigation
02:40 – Adam Watt’s arrest
04:30 – Attacked in jail
05:30 – The link between Watt and Standen
08:40 - ‘What happens next reads like a Hollywood crime thriller’
11:34 – Going to trial
14:48 – First on-camera interview with the convicted cop
19:20 – Informants
21:55 – Convicted international drug trafficker
25:55 – Leaked information
26:55 – Money trail
33:20 – Barrels of acetone
37:50 – Surveillance
42:40 – Henry Kinch

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