entertainment: gossip

Sylvester Stallone charged in Australia

Wednesday March 14th 2007

Movie star Sylvester Stallone has been charged in Australia with importing a banned substance into the country.

The 60 year old action hero, who recently reprised his role as Rocky Balboa, was found to have human growth hormone in his luggage at Sydney airport.

It is believed that 48 bottles of the illegal substance were found in Sly's bags and in his hotel room.

The hormone is classed as a performance enhancing drug in Australia and it is an offence to import the substance into the country.

The maximum penalty for possession of the hormone is a £40,000 fine and a five year jail sentence.

Sly was not at the Sydney court to hear the charge made against him.

Stallone has admitted to using performing enhancing substances in the past. On one occasion he is believed to have taken such high quantities and trained so hard, that the bicep muscle in his arm nearly exploded.