Australia's Mr Bench pleads guilty and gets fined for steroids stash.

A world champion weightlifter has escaped jail for a second drug offence.

Angelo Galati, known as “Mr Bench”, received a fine after pleading guilty to possessing a vial of steroids and breaching an intensive corrections order.

The testosterone vial was found in a sock drawer of the multiple Mr Universe winner in a police raid in November.

At the February 11 Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court hearing police prosecutor Leading Sen-Constable Cameron Cunningham said a vial was discovered after Galati’s home was searched.

Last January the 42-year-old Bentleigh East hairdresser received a 12-month intensive corrections order after pleading guilty to trafficking steroids, possessing a drug of dependence and receiving and possessing the proceeds of crime.

Almost 6500 anabolic steroid tablets, 16 vials of liquid and $16,835 in cash were seized during the September 2008 sting.

Sen-Constable Cunningham said police searches were thorough. “Police say there was nothing left (after the first search),” Sen-Constable Cunningham said.

But defence lawyer George Henderson said the drugs were part of the same cache located in the previous raid.

“The vial had been there a while ... it was there from what they didn’t take last time,” Mr Henderson said.

Magistrate Martin Grinberg fined Galati $400 and ordered the remaining days left on the ICO be completed.

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