Nov. 2, 1999 9:19 PM Reuters

CANBERRA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Athletes caught bringing illegal performance-enhancing drugs into Australia before next year's Sydney Olympics could face fines of up to A$100,000 (US$64,000), the Australian government said on Wednesday.

Under legislation soon to come before parliament tightening penalties for importation of a long list of banned goods, traffickers of performance-enhancing drugs face jail terms of up to five years.

"These tougher penalties will send a strong message that Australia is serious about policing prohibited imports of items which have the capacity to destroy lives, whether that be firearms or child pornography," Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone said in a statement.

"This increase in the penalties applying to sports drugs is particularly important in the lead-up to the Olympics and clearly spells out Australia's intention that anyone attempting to import performance-enhancing drugs faces severe penalties."

Under the law, expected to come into force by the end of the year, the illegal imports of dangerous firearms, military style weapons, or child pornography will draw a fine of up to A$250,000 and jail terms of up to 10 years.

Vanstone said the government would also substantially increase the maximum "monetary penalties" for narcotics trafficking "to bring them into line with community expectations that drug barons not be able to profit from the sale of illicit drugs".

A spokesman for Vanstone said the crackdown was not specifically targeted at the Olympics. "The new penalties do not just apply to sports drugs but to every illegal import, which is a list a mile long," he said.

He added that a committee would work through detailed regulations spelling out at what level imports of sports drugs would be deemed to be trafficking.

Australian drugs experts have warned that Australia could be flooded with both recreational drugs and sports drugs such as anabolic steroids or human growth hormone in the run-up to the Sydney Olympics.

The government has already announced stricter drug detection measures at customs durng the Games, which will apply to all Olympic visitors. Sydney Olympic organisers are also hoping to expand pre-Games drug tests of Olympic competitors.

The most high-profile sports drugs haul in Australia was in January last year, when a Chinese swimmer and a coach arriving for the world swimming championships were found with 13 vials of human growth hormone in their baggage.

The pair were banned from their sport by swimming body FINA but were never prosecutive for illegal importation of a restricted substance.

(A$1 = US$0.64)