Canterbury under-19 rugby representative Finn Hart-Strawbridge has been banned from all sport for two years for possessing a prohibited growth hormone.
Hart-Strawbridge was sanctioned by New Zealand Rugby's judicial committee after pleading guilty to possessing GHRP-6, a performance-enhancing peptide.
Drug Free Sport NZ took the case against Hart-Strawbridge after New Zealand Customs seized a package addressed to him containing a 5mg vial of GHRP-6 last October.
Chief executive Graeme Steel says the case highlights the range of tools available to DFSNZ to identify those who break the rules around doping.
"Those considering doping should never think that drug testing is the only tool we have at our disposal," Steel said.
DFSNZ worked with Customs, Medsafe NZ and other enforcement agencies to detect the potential importing of performance enhancing drugs.
"Those who seek to buy performance enhancing drugs online are making a huge mistake and are putting their health and their sporting career at great risk."
Hart-Strawbridge told the NZR judicial committee that he'd ordered the vial of GHPR-6 off the internet after reading a series of newspaper articles about a reporter who had used the drug.
He said he didn't think there would be any great consequence in ordering the drug because it was only a small amount, and wasn't aware he was breaching anti-doping regulations.
He told the judicial committee he'd ordered it as a prank, in part to see how easy it was to do, and admitted this was foolish and naive.
