The Astana Qazaqstan group introduced they’ve severed Colombian rider Miguel Angel López after receiving new info concerning the doping investigation Operation Ilex.
“Astana Qazaqstan Workforce found new parts displaying Miguel Angel López’ possible reference to Dr Marcos Maynar,” the assertion stated.
“Accordingly, the group had no different answer than to finish the contract between group and rider, based mostly on breaches of stated contract and inside group guidelines, with fast impact.”
Authorities arrested Dr Marcos Maynar Mariño on Could 11, someday after López deserted the Giro. He was charged with against the law in opposition to public well being, drug trafficking and cash laundering. Maynar is a professor on the College of Extremadura. The Civil Guard searched his Physiology Laboratory within the School of Sports activities Sciences. The case was referred to the Investigating Court docket quantity 4.
Astana suspended López in July after studying of alleged hyperlinks between him and Maynar, which López, via his lawyer, vigorously denied. “He flatly denies having any relationship or participation in any felony act associated to the distribution of unauthorized medicines or some other product referred to within the information revealed yesterday,” the lawyer stated.
The group “provisionally” reinstated him two weeks later, and López went on to complete on the rostrum within the Vuelta a Burgos and end fourth general within the Vuelta a Espańa.
Operation Ilex started in January 2021 when the Guardia Civil started investigating a suspected doping ring close to Cáceres in western Spain. Two folks have been arrested and 6 people are underneath investigation.
Vicente Belda and his son Vicente, a soigneur for Astana, had been reportedly underneath investigation. Belda senior, a director for Kelme, was caught up within the 2006 Operacion Puerto scandal and ended his profession earlier than being cleared of fees eight years later.
Very like Operacion Puerto, the Operation Ilex investigation uncovered coded messages and banned substances together with Actovegin, Theophylline and Menotropin and recognized clients in Portugal, Guipuzcoa within the Basque Nation and Castellon in japanese Valencia.
