More evidence against Ullrich?

There is more evidence that has come to light against Jan Ullrich in the Operation Puerto, Süddeutsche Zeitung reports. According to the German press agency dpa, the newspaper is basing its charges on the results of an "expert meeting" September in Madrid.

According to the newspaper, the Spanish "are obviously in the position to document Ullrich's visits in Madrid." Allegedly, Ullrich stayed in Madrid hotels many times, mainly in the Hotel Pio XII, and allegedly the clients of Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes did not even have to identify themselves at the registration. "The system obviously functioned with hotel vouchers," the newspaper reports.

According to the investigators, Ullrich's relationship to Fuentes goes back to 2003, shortly after Ullrich's return to cycling following his six-month suspension for a positive amphetamine test. During the raid on Fuentes' office this spring, a photo of Ullrich, signed and dedicated to the doctor, was said to have been found. In addition, it is alleged that the police observed how two of Fuentes' helpers threw into a trash can two bags of blood labelled "Jan". The bags were taken into custody as evidence.

The paper further reports that the investigators have confirmed previously published financial data. Ullrich is said to have paid a base fee of €60,000 per year, plus two additional payments of €30,000, for a total of €120,000 annually. The money was not transferred or wired but personally handed over through middlemen.

In addition, Süddeutsche Zeitung claims that Swiss investigators have a DNA sample from Ullrich. After returning from his honeymoon, Ullrich gave the Swiss police a "court-ordered" saliva sample.