A Sechelt martial arts coach is one of four B.C. men charged in an alleged anabolic steroid smuggling and distribution ring that operated across Canada.
William Joe Baturin, 39, was charged with possession of unlawfully imported goods under the Customs Act and trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking and production under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Charged with the same offences are Simon James Baturin of Vancouver, who is reportedly William’s younger brother, and Hubert Moses Sims of Burnaby.
Facing a total of seven counts, high-profile Victoria baseball coach Gautam Mohan Srivastava was additionally charged with smuggling, importation and a second count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced the charges on Feb. 16 after an investigation spanning more than two years, dubbed Project Juice.
During the B.C. investigation, the CBSA said it seized more than 5,600 vials, 150,000 tablets, about 2.7 litres of prepared steroids, more than 40 kilograms of pure raw powders and $21,000.
William Baturin is a well-known Sunshine Coast martial arts coach who was associated with the former Ostovic’s Gym in Sechelt.
In July 2012, he coached four Ostovic’s members, including three junior novice fighters, who competed at UBC in the 33rd Can-Am Championships and Carlson Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Cup. In October 2009, he trained four Ostovic’s members who competed in submission grappling at the Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships in Burnaby.
He has continued to volunteer from time to time as a senior trainer for Sechelt-based Red Lion Kickboxing, club owner Mike Evans said Wednesday.
Evans said the charges came as a complete surprise to the club, which has 15 to 20 members representing a cross-section of the Sunshine Coast.
“Nobody in the gym had any idea that anything like this was happening,” Evans said, calling Baturin a dedicated instructor who is highly skilled in grappling and judo.
“Our main focus is teaching the art of kickboxing and grappling. William is one of the instructors who has taught grappling. He’s overseen the grappling skills of some of our best students. In his work there, he’s been exceptional. At no time has the issue of controlled substances been brought up or mentioned.”
As a traditional martial arts club, Evans said, “we would never support or condone the use of controlled substances. It’s one of our values.”
Baturin has been especially adept at training younger club members, Evans added.
“He’s so good with the kids, and he’s a great father. He’s fantastic. It’s all up and up. It’s all work hard. It’s all discipline. That’s the William we know.
“We don’t know anything about this particular business. It’s his personal life and it’s never crossed over to the gym.”
Baturin has never been involved with Coast Martial Arts in Gibsons, owner and chief instructor Shawn Phillips said Tuesday.
Project Juice started in 2012 after steroids were intercepted in postal seizures at the CBSA Vancouver and Greater Toronto International mail centres and at the Vancouver International Air Cargo Centre.
Charged in October 2012, Greg Austin Doucette of Halifax, a championship body builder, was fined $50,000 last year for smuggling and distributing anabolic steroids. He also received a 20-month conditional sentence and one year of probation.
Winnipegger Jason Mark Eggleston, a registered nurse, pled guilty this year to one count of smuggling under the Customs Act.
The B.C. investigation included valuable assistance from the Oak Bay Police Department, Yvette-Monique Gray, director of the CBSA’s enforcement and intelligence division, said in a statement.
The most prominent of the B.C. men charged, Srivastava was named Baseball Canada’s Coach of the Year in 2010, the same year he served as an assistant coach with Team B.C. when it won gold at the Canada Cup. Since 2012, the Saanich resident has been a B.C. scout for the major league Minnesota Twins.
Following the charges, Srivastava was suspended from his duties as general manager of the Victoria Eagles.
In an interview with CTV News, Srivastava proclaimed his innocence and said he did not know any of the three other men charged in the alleged smuggling ring.
CBSA officers in the Pacific region made 658 steroid seizures between January 2014 and January 2015, with 192 seizures totalling 88,625 grams and 466 seizures totalling 73,800 doses.
