A Madrid court has declared police evidence gathered in the Operation Greyhound anti probe of Spain as invalid, which means that the outstanding charges against the accused are to be shelved.

Phone recordings and materials collected in raids, like bags of blood, transfusion equipment, and anabolic steroids could not be used, according to the ruling.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Operation Greyhound hit the headlines in December 2010 when a series of raids by Spanish police across the country saw sports doctors, pharmacists, trainers, coaches, agents and athletes taken in for questioning.

Around 14 people were suspected of involvement in the trafficking of drugs and crimes against public health.

Spain’s former world steeplechase champion Marta Dominguez was the highest profile person implicated but she was cleared of three charges last year.

“The police sought judicial authorisation to record phone conversations (of suspects) and the judge agreed without the existence of a basic and consistent investigation,” the ruling said.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, doping, Marta Dominguez, Operation Greyhound

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Spanish civil guard have taken 14 people in for questioning around the country as part of an anti-doping operation known as “Greyhound,” according to the Spanish government.

Sports doctors, pharmacists, trainers, coaches, representatives and sportspeople were among those detained, suspected of crimes against public health, the Ministry of the Interior communicated in a statement.

From Reuters.com:

Spanish media reported that the initials MD, which the government statement said referred to a female athlete from Palencia suspected of supplying doping substances, was world steeplechase champion Marta Dominguez.

Spanish television showed images of police taking items from what they said was Dominguez’s home earlier in the day.

Reuters was unable to immediately contact either Dominguez or her representatives for comment.

Up to 15 addresses in Madrid, Las Palmas, Alicante, Segovia and Palencia were raided and police found anabolic steroids, bags of blood, hormones, EPO and laboratory equipment used for carrying out blood transfusions.

“The three people mentioned, after receiving the competition calendars for certain sports people, drew up doping plans for them, treating them occasionally with doping products such as EPO, anabolic steroids, and others, doing transfusions of blood recycled from the same sportsperson,” the civil guard said in their statement while saying that EF and two others were monitored.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, doping, EPO, Marta Dominguez

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