Sly Detained in Sydney

Sly arrived in Sydney at about 11pm the night before the Australian premiere of "Rocky Balboa." The 1200 tickets to the premiere showing had sold out in a record 27 minutes earlier this month. Things seemed to be off to a fantasic start. Unfortunately Australian Customs officers detained Sly and his entourage after routine x-rays of their luggage revealed several unnamed prohibited items. Unconfirmed reports initially indicated that the items were banned body building drugs.

Sly and his group were held up for about two hours before being allowed to leave. "Customs can confirm Mr Stallone arrived at Sydney airport on Friday evening. Richard Janeczko, national manager of investigations for Australian Customs, was quoted as saying: "His party was subject to normal customs and quarantine processes. During an X-ray of the group's baggage, several prohibited items were located. The items are being held by customs... Mr Stallone's party was fully co-operative with customs and was allowed to leave the airport after a short delay. Customs investigations are continuing and accordingly we can't say any more at this time."



When Sly exited the airport after his long flight from LA [made longer by the hold up], loyal fans and media were still waiting. Many, if not most stars, would have made a beeline for their limos, but Sly stopped to sign autographs for fans.

At the premiere of "Rocky Balboa" Sly was asked about the incident at the airport. He was quoted as saying, "That was a misunderstanding. Customs is doing a great job." When asked what was in his luggage, he joked with one reporter by saying "My wife" and told another reporter it was a "giant cheetah."



Sly was allowed to leave the country, but not before his jet was searched. Despite rumours that the items in question were steroids, Sly was quoted as saying that they are not, and the incident was caused due to a clerical error.

Although many people will jump to conclusions, I believe that it's important to remember that at this point it's not clear what the banned items were or who's baggage they were found in. Australia prohibits the unlicensed importation of not only steroids but a wide range of "performance-enhancing substances". Perhaps Sly just had some Instone products! - Craig