SA coach caught with suspect drug

A South African swimming coach travelling to the Sydney Olympics was caught entering Australia with a banned drug, the Australian Broadcasting Corp radio said on Friday.

Customs and federal sports sources said the incident was being investigated. Justice and Customs Minister Amanda Vanstone will hold a 1.30 p.m. (0330 GMT) media conference, her spokesman said.

Customs officials also said they were planning to release a statement on Friday.

The ABC report said the coach was stopped at Perth International Airport on Wednesday carrying around 500 MaHuang tablets, a Chinese herb commonly used as a stimulant.

Customs officials confiscated the tablets before allowing the coach to continue on to Sydney, the report said.

A customs source said MaHuang is a medicinal tablet which could be brought into Australia only with an explanatory document. It is classified under a different category to performance-enhancing drugs.

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