60 Minutes S2024E21 - High Alert, Corporate Crash

On 60 Minutes, Adam Hegarty speaks to Boeing whistle-blowers while Dimity Clancey investigates painkillers known as nitazenes.

High Alert
Few Australians have probably ever heard of Nitazenes, but soon it's likely that everyone will know all about them. Not for good reasons though. Nitazenes are extremely potent painkillers which can be as much as a thousand times stronger than morphine. They were developed in the 1950s, then quickly deemed far too dangerous for humans and so were largely forgotten. But now these synthetic opioids have reappeared and are being produced in massive quantities in Chinese laboratories. As Dimity Clancey reports in this special 60 Minutes investigation, nitazenes are being shipped to western countries including Australia, where they are hidden in all types of illicit drugs, ready to cause harm – and often death – to unsuspecting users.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producer: Serge Negus

Corporate Crash
Not so long ago, many airline passengers used to swear by the saying: "If it's not Boeing, I'm not going." It was a motto the company loved. But in the last six years, two fatal B737 MAX crashes, as well as multiple other incidents, have meant drastically changing times for Boeing. Now, the slogan is the complete opposite: "If it's Boeing, I'm not going." On Tuesday, the plane maker's humiliation was plain for the world to see when its boss was forced to appear before angry U.S. Senators in Washington. CEO Dave Calhoun was grilled about his company's plague of deadly safety and manufacturing issues. On 60 Minutes, Adam Hegarty speaks to Boeing whistle-blowers who reveal disturbing allegations about shoddy practices and cover-ups. For anyone who flies, it seems the turbulence for Boeing is far from over.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producers: Lisa Brown, Sheree Gibson