A Tasmanian gym enthusiast has been ordered to pay almost $20,000 in fines and court costs for attempting to smuggle a 'small pharmacy' of steroids into Australia.
The 31 year old was searched by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers when he returned to Perth on a flight from Malaysia on 10 July, 2019. At the time the man was a FIFO worker in Western Australia.
An x-ray of his baggage showed anomalies and when officers conducted a physical examination they located the following items:
◦39 x 1ml ampoules in boxes labelled 'Testobolin – Testosterone Enanthate'.
◦75 x Oxandrolone tablets in a box labelled "Oxanobol".
◦328 x Oxandrolone tablets in a box labelled "Anavar".
◦70 x Stanozolol tablets in a bottle labelled "Stano M10".
◦150 x Stanozolol tablets in a box labelled "Stanztab 10".
◦2 x 10ml vials of Nandrolone Decanoate labelled "Nandrobolin-250".
On his Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) the man had declared he did not have any "goods that may be prohibited or subject to restrictions, such as medicines or steroids".
He later admitted to purchasing the steroids from a pharmacy in Thailand, and claimed they were for personal use.
ABF Investigators charged him with two offences, and after pleading guilty he was sentenced in the Perth Magistrates Court last Thursday (13 August 2020) to the following:
◦One count of importing prohibited imports, being various quantities of anabolic or androgenic substances, at Perth International Airport, in contravention of section 233(1)(b) of the Customs Act 1901 - $11,000 fine.
◦One count of making a false or misleading statement to an officer in contravention of section 234(1)(d)(i) of the Customs Act 1901 - $4,000 fine.
He was also ordered to pay the Prosecution's costs of $4,733, taking the total penalty to $19,733.
The Magistrate also rejected an application by the man's lawyer for a spent conviction after the Commonwealth's lawyer argued the offending was not "trivial".
ABF Regional Commander for WA James Copeman said the man knew it was illegal to import steroids, or Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs), into Australia without a permit.
"PIEDs are regulated in Australia for very good reasons as they can have serious health impacts for users," Commander Copeman said.
"This was a significant concealment and I commend the officers at the airport who detected it.
"The ABF is committed to stamping out the illicit importation of these drugs."
