MADRID (AP) — The lawyer representing the Spanish state says that samples from unidentified blood bags from the Operation Puerto police investigation can be given to anti-doping authorities when the trial is over.
Lawyer Lucia Pedrero tells the court “the complete blood bags shouldn’t be handed over because they are part of a crime, but yes, samples of them could be given and then later the evidence could be destroyed.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency has already asked the court to release the more than 200 blood bags found by police raids on an alleged blood-doping ring in 2006. Spain’s anti-doping watchdog has said it will do so as well when the trial is over.
Anti-doping authorities hope their analysis could lead to identifying scores of cheating athletes.
