Australian officials 'crack' Da Vinci Code

CANBERRA - Australian officials cracked The Da Vinci Code when they discovered illegal drugs hidden inside a copy of the best-selling novel sent to Australia from Britain, Justice Minister Chris Ellison said on Tuesday.

Pages inside the book had been cut out to hide 12 vials of performance-enhancing anabolic steroids, Ellison said. A Sydney man faces two charges of importing prohibited substances and one charge of possessing prohibited imports.

The international blockbuster murder mystery, by US author Dan Brown, follows a Harvard professor as he uncovers a secret about the life of Christ and the clandestine society that had tried to protect it over the ages.

- REUTERS