A Monterey bodybuilder who once made the cover of a magazine that extols drug-free muscle-building has been arrested on suspicion of dealing steroids.

Anthony "Tony" Albert Chobanian, 28, was arrested Thursday after accepting a parcel at his English Avenue home, culminating a U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Customs Service investigation.

According to detective Al Martinez, authorities found 4,000 suspected steroid pills and several hundred doses of Valium, a tranquilizer. They also found unspecified amounts of liquid testosterone and codeine, a painkiller. They seized $4,000 in cash as well, Martinez said.

Steroids, which promote the growth of skeletal muscle mass and are sometimes used by athletes to enhance performance, are illegal in the United States without a prescription.

Chobanian was arrested on four counts of possession of a controlled substance for sale and four counts of transporting a controlled substance. He was booked into Monterey County Jail and released after posting bond on $52,500 bail.

Chobanian was the March 2000 Natural Muscle Magazine cover model after winning the Tampa-based magazine's model search contest. The publication is geared to bodybuilders who avoid using drugs to bulk up. On the magazine's Web site, Chobanian said he was a project manager pursuing an MBA in management. He is a 1992 graduate of Salinas High School and last worked at McGraw-Hill in Monterey.

In a letter to the magazine, he wrote that he would be a good cover model and company spokesman because "I have been training naturally for the past eight years and would make a great Spokesperson for the following reasons. I know the hard work and dedication it takes to push your body to your genetic potential, without resorting to drugs."