Sylvester Stallone fined

May 21, 2007, 11:30 GMT

05/07/2007 - Sylvester Stallone - Sylvester Stallone Shopping on Slone Street After Completing the Filming of Rambo 4 - Slone Street - London, England © Solarpix / Photorazzi

Sylvester Stallone has been fined £1,267 for bringing a banned performance enhancement drug into Australia.

The 'Rocky Balboa' star - who pleaded guilty to importing the human growth hormone product Jintropin - was not present at the New South Wales court when the judge imposed the fine today (21.05.07).

Stallone was also ordered to pay an estimated £4,000 in court costs.

Deputy chief magistrate Paul Cloran said Stallone was fined for taking Jintropin into Australia without a valid prescription.

The actor was also fined for failing to declare he was importing testosterone despite having a prescription for it.

Australia's maximum penalty for importing banned substances is £45,000 and five years in prison. Stallone faced a lower penalty because his case was heard in a local - rather than federal - court.

The actor was charged in February with bringing Jintropin to Australia during a tour to promote the latest film in the Rocky franchise.

When his luggage was searched at Sydney airport, 48 vials of the performance-enhancing drug were found.

Stallone, 60, threw four vials of testosterone out of his hotel window when customs officers arrived to search his room.

Jintropin contains somatropin, which claims to reduce body fat, boost muscle mass and increase sexual prowess.

Stallone apologised for his actions in a letter read out to the court last week.

He said: "I made a terrible mistake, not because I was attempting to deceive anyone but I was simply ignorant to your official rules.

"I feel terrible that my breach of the rules has set a poor example to members of the public, whose opinion I cherish dearly."

(C) BANG Media International