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Airdate: Under Surveillance: Charlotte’s Web

Leila McKinnon presents story on 2007 NSW drug sting involving Charlotte Lindstrom.

We’re getting quite a few drug-bust specials on the box lately, first with Seven’s Drug Bust and now with Nine’s replacement for Top Gear Australia (now at 9:30pm).

Nine had Under Surveillance: Australian Druglords on air last year, hosted by Gary Sweet. An episode of the 9 part series from Southern Star received some complaints from NSW police that the show compromised the identities of undercover members and was subsequently re-edited.

Nine now airs Under Surveillance: Charlotte’s Web which looks at, a 2007 NSW drug sting involving Charlotte Lindstrom, presented by Leila McKinnon.

This one-hour special, presented by Leila McKinnon, covers one of the biggest drug stings in police history: The Charlotte Lindstrom case.

For the first time video evidence, real police footage and secret recordings have been released.

In late 2005, NSW fire fighters are called to a warehouse in Sydney’s west. On their way to the location a mystery caller tries to call off the 000 response. Fire fighters arrive and discover that the warehouse is actually a highly sophisticated drug laboratory – the largest secret drug lab in Australian history.

Police discover $127 million worth of ecstasy. The drug lord, whose signed alias is on the lease, is Steven Spaliviero. He lives with his young fiancé, Swedish model, Charlotte Lindstrom in a waterfront apartment in Sydney’s CBD. Steve is subsequently arrested and jailed but he claims he’s innocent. He says he’s just a wealthy property developer.

Meanwhile, Charlotte is desperate to get him out of jail and discovers police have two witnesses who will testify that Steve Spaliviero bought drug equipment off them. Their evidence will bring him down.

What happens next is so shocking police can barely believe what they’re hearing – Charlotte is secretly organising to kill the two witnesses. Police swoop and arrest her.

In a bid to get a reduced jail sentence, Charlotte then does the unthinkable and rolls on her drug lord fiancé. The evidence linking Steve Spaliviero to the Sydney lab is damning – there are the two witnesses, the DNA evidence, the 000 call and now Charlotte.

Under Surveillance: Charlotte’s Web reveals, for the first time, the real police footage and video evidence including footage of police searches of their apartment and the discovery during those searches of the evidence which would see Spaliviero jailed for 16 years.

8:30pm Tuesday on Nine.

10 Responses

  1. where do you watch the replay for this series?
    channel 9 do you have an archive section like abc four corners
    if not, can you do one for the peeps that missed this real life underbelly tv series 🙂

  2. Anyone who willingly watches this kind of propagandist pap, featuring a corrupt police force rolling around in the hay with a cheapskate TV station looking to make yet another second-rate show without paying actors/writers, should be force fed all drugs seized.

  3. OMG no disrespect but what a bunch of brainless people. Of course it’s going to be interesting, because of what the Police hard work and efficiency just a few million children won’t be doing drugs I cannot believe anybody won’t be interested in watching it

  4. i will watch it but only because it is a special if it was a series i wouldnt even bother because it is on channel 9 and i have been let down to many times before by 9 so i dont watch any new series on 9 even if i would have found them intresting as for ratings it hasnt got a hope of coming close toeating packed in the raitings on 7

  5. It will interesting to see if Ch 9’s new programming rearrangement is gonna lead them to lose once again in the ratings.

    Putting a 4 yr old crime investigation that occured back in 2007, against PTTR s4 isn’t yet again another countless bad idea!.

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