The entire New South Wales police force suddenly found itself as much a target for investigation as the criminal syndicates had been in the 1980s. A damning report by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) provided stunning evidence of corrupt police practices and led to the Wood Royal Commission in 1994. Seven police officers were imprisoned and another 284 found themselves adversely named in the final report.

The Police Integrity Commission was established as a watchdog and the reign of criminal heavyweights George Freeman and Lennie McPherson came to an end. Sydney's first legal casino - Star City - opened in 1995, diverting billions of dollars from illegal gambling to the government. SP bookies were all but pushed out by a privatised TAB and the proliferation of legal gambling options. The drug trade remains Australia's most lucrative income stream for criminal groups.

Background
Drugs and cash tendered as evidence at the Wood Royal Commission
Image from the Wood Royal Commission