Operation Ilex doping - Two years in prison for Marcos Maynar and a UCI problem with Miguel Ángel López?

A Spanish Criminal Court has convicted Marcos Maynar Mariño and Ignacio Bartolomé Sánchez for trafficking unauthorized medicines linked to supplying substances to athletes, mainly cyclists and swimmers, in the so‑called Operación Ilex. However, it acquits the doctor and Vicente Belda of sporting doping. Miguel Ángel López emerges largely unscathed.

The Criminal Court No. 1 of Cáceres ruling, first reported by Marca, hands Marcos Maynar a two‑year prison sentence, a €2,700 fine, and a 21‑month ban from activities related to sports training or medicine. Ignacio Bartolomé receives nine months in prison, a €2,100 fine, and a nine‑month ban.

The court finds proven that both distributed capsules and tablets in transparent bags with handwritten labels such as “coffee”, “strength”, and “lactate”. According to the decision, athletes contacted them in Cáceres, underwent physiological testing, and later received the substances believing they were dietary supplements.

The judgment concludes that the capsules labeled “lactate” contained a substance consistent with dichloroacetic acid (DCA), whose distribution is not authorized in Spain. The ruling notes that DCA may reduce lactate accumulation during exercise, but it can also pose health risks including neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and possible carcinogenicity.

It was also established that “Actovegin Forte,” a biological medicine derived from calf’s blood and not authorized in Spain, was shipped and supplied.

During the investigation, the Guardia Civil intercepted several mailings, including one addressed to Colombian cyclist Miguel Ángel López, then riding for Astana, which contained “lactate” capsules and “Actovegin Forte” tablets. Other intercepted packages were addressed to Garikoitz Bravo Oyarvide and Vicente Belda Vicedo.

The ruling also records the acquittal of Vicente Belda and Raúl Bernal Vigo on the most serious charges, as it was not proven that they distributed substances or fully knew their composition.

The Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of the University of Extremadura is identified as one of the main hubs of the investigation conducted by the Guardia Civil and the UCO. The probe included package interceptions, lab analyses, and wiretaps, whose validity was upheld by the court.

Numerous cyclists and swimmers testified during the proceedings, and their accounts consistently described receiving capsules labeled “coffee”, “strength”, and “lactate” after undergoing physiological tests. The court gives particular weight to reports from the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices, which identified the substances distributed.

The judge clarifies that no specific physical harm to athletes was demonstrated, although the health risks posed to the public by distributing unauthorized medicines are deemed sufficient.

The decision also states that it was not proven that the menotropin sent in 2022 was related to physical issues or to Miguel Ángel López’s withdrawal from the 2022 Giro d’Italia.

Alongside the convictions for trafficking unauthorized medicines, the court acquits Marcos Maynar, Vicente Belda, and Raúl Bernal of the offense of sporting doping.