Fitness instructor accused of moving several hundred pounds of marijuana across country

A UA fitness instructor was arrested late last month for allegedly moving several hundred pounds of marijuana to at least two other states, sheriff officials said.

Steven L. Canis, a fitness instructor who taught a weight-training class through the Student Recreation Center, was one of seven arrested Feb. 21 for allegedly running a drug ring based in Tucson and spanning at least two additional states, said Deputy Steve Easton, spokesman for the Pima County Sherriff's Department.

Canis and four others were arrested after a nine-month investigation conducted by the Pima County Sheriff, FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency found that they were allegedly maintaining connections with Canis's brother in Atlanta and another man in Florida, Easton said.

Juliette Moore, director of the recreation center, said the allegations are a shock.

"We had no knowledge of his personal life," Moore said. "People who took his class just loved him and he got rave reviews from his students."

She said Canis was fired from the university on Feb. 19 - two days before his arrest - for repeatedly not showing up.

Moore said Canis was a responsible instructor during his two-year employment at the university.

"He just stopped showing up, and he knows he has to find a substitute or at least call," she said.

On the night of the arrest, Aaron M. Brown, a Bear Down Gym weight room attendant, said Canis' class was cancelled by a woman who went to the gym and said he had an emergency and could not teach the class that night.

Moore said although the class was normally offered to faculty and staff, a section was offered this year to students.

But she didn't know if students were enrolled in the class this semester.

She said that although instructors who work with children are fingerprinted and have their criminal backgrounds checked, Canis only needed a list of references to ensure his credibility.

"His references checked out," she said. "We probably now will check references more closely."

Sharon Kha, spokeswoman for the university, said UA employees who have been arrested are only terminated if the charges reflect their assigned duties.

"If a landscaper were to be charged with embezzlement outside the university, he probably wouldn't be fired," Kha said.

But she said if an accountant was charged with embezzlement, the university would look into terminating the person.

During the arrests, two search warrants were carried out in Canis' home and another home, both located on the northwest side of Tucson. Less than 50 pounds of marijuana that was packaged and ready for shipment was found at one home on the 8800 block of North Shadow Mountain Drive.

But 240 grams of marijuana was found at Canis's house on the 5200 block of North Oracle Road, which Easton said was for personal use - not for sale.

The arrests were part of an 11-count indictment presented by the Arizona Attorney General's Office and issued by the Arizona Supreme Court.

Canis is currently in Pima County Jail awaiting trial.

Dan Benavidez, communications director for the Pima County Attorney's office, said the case is still under investigation and that rulings in similar cases have varied.