March 12th, 2007
Just moments ago, Sylvester Stallone was officially charged with illegally importing performance and image enhancing drugs in a Sydney courtroom, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. 

According to Australian authorities, the 60-year-old action star, who did not appear in court, was caught at Sydney Airport with several vials of a steroid known as hGH (human growth hormone), during a random baggage check. Customs officials claim they found a total of 48 vials of the steroid after they raided Stallone's Sydney hotel room, limousine and private jet.

Australian customs officials searched Sylvester Stallone’s hotel room and private jet on Monday, three days after seizing banned substances from the muscle-bound actor’s entourage as he arrived for a promotional tour, a news report said.

Stallone was not stopped from leaving Australia, where he spent the weekend promoting his latest movie, "Rocky Balboa," after officials searched his plane on the tarmac at Sydney airport on Monday, Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph reported, without citing sources. Officials are still examining substances collected from Stallone’s entourage to determine whether further action would be taken, the newspaper reported.

"Rocky has been put to bed. I just wanted to go out with respect for the character."

Stallone and several people traveling with him were detained for several hours at Sydney airport on Friday as they arrived. Australian Customs Service national investigations manager Richard Janeczko said some contraband items were taken, but didn’t identify them.

Stallone initially said the detention on Friday was the result of a misunderstanding on his part, then later refused to answer questions about the incident. In addition to illicit drugs, Australia prohibits the unlicensed importation of a wide range of steroids and performance-enhancing substances for sporting use. Penalties for possession of such substances can range from fines to prison terms.

Stallone's minders warned yesterday that if journalists raised the subject, interviews would be terminated. But the actor-director insisted the items were not steroids. He would not identify them other than to say "it's something that I've taken for years" and "it's not dangerous".  source

Wait, Stallone was juicing?  If Australian officials were able to put it together..