B.C.’s youth baseball community is reeling after a former high-profile coach was charged in a steroid smuggling investigation.
Gautam Srivastava managed multiple teams in Victoria and was involved with Baseball B.C.’s high performance program before becoming a scout for the Minnesota Twins in 2012.
He’s now facing charges along with three other men for alleged offences dating back to 2009, including production and trafficking of a controlled substance.
“I feel I’m completely innocent of charges and look forward to my evidence of innocence coming out,” Srivastava told CTV News by phone Friday.
The other accused are Simon James Baturin, his brother William Joel Baturin, and Hubert Moses Sims. Simon Baturin once worked at a lab connected with the University of British Columbia’s biochemistry department.
Srivastava, who used to teach in the University of Victoria’s department of computer science, has denied knowing any of his co-accused.
“I’m innocent and I’m going to defend the charges, that’s all I can tell you right now,” he said.
Court documents describe how Canadian Border Services Agency investigators executed a search warrant at a building on West 3rd Avenue in Vancouver last February, and found a clandestine lab.
Inside was a large amount of anabolic steroids with an estimated street value of several hundred thousand dollars, according to the documents.
Authorities allege smuggled raw powder was used to produce injectable liquids, dropper bottles, and pills.
Baseball B.C. and the Victoria Eagles baseball organization said the allegations are shocking, and that Srivastava is no longer involved with either group.
No court date has been set in the case.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Maria Weisgarber
