Drug Importation Problem Persists
Australian Customs Service has confirmed that in the past year drug and performance enhancing drug importation has increased to more than 1000 customs seizures. The Australian Olympic Committee has repeatedly called for stricter norms and a national taskforce to fight the importation and sale of substances to aid athletes to improve their performances.
Craig McLatchey, AOC Secretary General, commented to the Sydney Morning Herald, "We must elevate the policing of the problem, with resources dedicated to tracking down the criminal traffickers in hard sports drugs. Sport alone cannot address this problem."
Police Commissioner Peter Ryan on the other hand replied back that the police force had their hands full chasing down heroin, cocaine and cannabis dealers and preferred to leave the responsibility up to international sports bodies in charge.
The Australian paper The Age ran an investigation on the drug industry and they concluded that police are not cracking down on the trafficking and trying to leave monitoring up to the sports bodies, legislation is not up to par and the numerous agencies that are supposed to be monitoring drug trade are not harmonizing their efforts. And disturbingly enough that organized crime was running their racket almost without intervention from authorities.
Australian customs has also confirmed that on May 9th former sports official John Pryor will appear in court in Sydney to tesitfy on importation charges for the importation of a banned steroid, DHEA. Pryor was stationed at the Narabeen Academy where elite level athletes are training.