Medicines and electronics have been seized in law enforcement raids on the Bahrain Victorious staff this 7 days, French authorities verified on Thursday night.
Riders and workers associates experienced their households searched in an intercontinental anti-doping operation on Monday forward of their vacation to the Tour de France, and on Thursday Danish law enforcement swooped on the team’s hotel in Copenhagen a day prior to the begin of the Tour.
The Danish authorities would not comment on the matter at the time, pointing out that the investigation was being led by French police, but the general public prosecutor’s place of work in Marseille has now specified a assertion to French news agency AFP.
It confirms that objects have been seized and in depth that 3 riders’ properties were being searched. Bahrain Victorious’ Damiano Caruso explained to Cyclingnews on Thursday that he was one of the riders, but the many others have not been discovered.
“Amongst June 27 and 30, 2022, a collective intercontinental judicial and law enforcement procedure was carried out across Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, and Denmark,” read through the assertion.
“The operation, coordinated by Eurojust with the assist of Europol, authorized the judicial and law enforcement authorities of individuals nations around the world to carry out many queries at the households of the manager, three riders, the osteopath, and a doctor of the qualified cycling team Bahrain Victorious, as properly as at the headquarters of Winning SRL, the team’s holding organization.
“A search of lodge rooms occupied by associates of the cycling crew in Copenhagen was also carried out today.”
The assertion went on to clarify that goods, which include medications, experienced been seized as portion of the operation.
In a assertion relating to the lodge raid, Bahrain Victorious had stated that “no objects have been seized.” The police assertion did not specify which lookups resulted in seizures.
“Digital product (phones, computer systems, really hard drives) and medications – of which the nature and origin continue to be undetermined, or which have to have a prescription – have been seized,” read the assertion.
“The goods seized will be topic to investigation and even more investigation.”
The procedure follows on from an investigation that broke cover at past year’s Tour de France, in which Bahrain Victorious’ lodge in Pau was raided in the middle of the night time. It relates to the potential “acquisition, transportation, possession and importing of a prohibited compound or approach for use by an athlete without justification by members of Workforce Bahrain Victorious” according to past year’s police statement.
Last year, screening of riders’ hair samples reportedly uncovered traces of the impressive muscle mass relaxant Tizanidine, which is not prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Company but could reveal off-label use of the drugs. No other conclusions have been confirmed.
Bahrain Victorious insist there has been no wrongdoing, and that they have complied with the authorities. Nonetheless, they have complained of a lack of interaction from French police and indicated in the wake of Monday’s raids that the investigation was “aimed at deliberately harmful the team’s popularity”.
Bahrain Victorious’ riders at the Tour de France have been prevented from talking to the media about the matter. The crew insist they are focused on competitiveness but their pre-race push conferences on Thursday consisted of a string of raid-similar questions that went unanswered.
