Illegal steroids imports on the rise in Australia

[THE BOUNCER]

Australian Customs officials say illegal imports of performance-enhancing steroids into Australia have risen this year ahead of the Olympics.

In the first three months of this year, 309 shipments of steroids have been intercepted.

The Investigations Manager for Customs Australia, Richard Janezcko, says it is a rise on recent years.

But he has told Lateline that the vast majority of steroids coming into the country are not intended for athletes.

"People who want to look good or are involved in all sorts of sporting activities like bodybuilding or ... weightlifting might do it," he said.

"A lot of people in gyms use it.

"There's a lot more dealing and trading so we believe that it's come out of an image culture as much as much as the Olympic culture."

[redback]

Its incredible the goverment here spends so much on cracking down on steroids of all things, they treat it the same way as any hard drug. Customs here do a great job but i dont see were the threat is with steroids.