EPO blood bags attributed to code names

By Susan Westemeyer

Spanish investigators have put code names to the eight bags of blood seized in Operación Puerto which have been tested positive for excess for EPO, according to El Mundo. The bags were identified as belonging to the code names "Klaus", "Sevillian" or number five, "Gemma", "Mari", "Falla" and "Valv. Piti" (number 18). Two of the bags are believed to belong to "Sevillian", who some sources identify as Oscar Sevilla.

It had previously been reported that the Barcelona antidoping laboratory had detected the traces of EPO, but that the lab's report did not identify the riders involved.

According to AS.com, Judge Antonio Serrano will call some or all of the 58 cyclists who have been named in the investigation. The paper said that although doping is not punishable in Spain, perjury is illegal. If the riders denied in court that they had used doping substances and were then proven to have used them, they could then be prosecuted for perjury.

Contacted for a statement concerning Oscar Sevilla, T-Mobile spokesman Christian Frommert told Cyclingnews on Saturday: "We had and have a very clear line. We decided to suspend him and after that we cancelled his contract. It would not be surprising if it's true, but we don't know if it is so or not. We took our decision very early and on the basis of trust. We had no trust in the words of some riders. Now it's up to the Guardia Civil to find proof and handle the case."