Stallone Charged with Importing on the Sly

Mon., Mar. 12, 2007 6:56 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

Sylvester Stallone has been accused of trying to put one over on customs Down Under.

The Rocky star was charged Tuesday with one count of importing a banned substance, for allegedly bringing 48 vials of human growth hormone into Australia with him on a Qantas flight from Los Angeles.

Human growth hormone is referred to as HGH in medical circles—and among the bodybuilding set—and is theoretically used to counteract muscle wastage.

Stallone, arriving in town to promote Rocky Balboa, was detained Feb. 16 at Sydney Airport after customs officers supposedly found the injectable substance in the 60-year-old fitness buff's luggage. This after Stallone is said to have checked the "no" box on his customs form when asked whether he was bringing restricted or prohibited goods such as "medicines, steroids, firearms or any kind of illicit drugs."

Three days later, authorities searched Stallone's hotel room at the waterfront Park Hyatt Sydney, and he and his entourage were cleared to leave Australia.

Stallone insisted at the time that his run-in with authorities was a misunderstanding.

The beefy actor was not required to appear this week in Downing Centre Local Court but instead was represented by attorney Robert Todd, who, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, told magistrate David Heilpern he was looking to have the case adjourned and wanted time to gather more materials.

Heilpern ordered that a plea be entered on Stallone's behalf by Apr. 24. While the maximum fine for importing illegal goods into Australia is $110,000, the largest fine a local court can hand down is $22,000 if Rambo is found guilty.

According to court documents, Stallone had packed away Jintropin, which is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is not recognized by the medical community as a treatment for any physical condition.

Per the Website ModernAging, the substance's main ingredient is the synthetic growth hormone somatropin. A minimum order of five kits from jintropin.net will set you back $1,600.

HGH is considered a performance-enhancing drug in Australia and cannot be imported without a permit from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the country's regulatory organization for medical drugs and devices.

Reuters reported that Stallone is currently believed to be in Thailand reliving his musclebound glory days yet again, this time for Rambo IV: Pearl of the Cobra, slated for a summer 2008 release.