Two years in prison for Marcos Maynar in the largest criminal sentence related to doping in Spain

The Ilex Operation has now been sentenced. The Criminal Court No. 1 of Cáceres has sentenced Marcos Maynar Mariño to two years in prison for a crime of trafficking unauthorized medications, while his collaborator Ignacio Bartolomé Sánchez has received a nine-month prison sentence. Both were found responsible for distributing substances to athletes, mainly cyclists and swimmers, under the guise of dietary supplements.

The Ilex Operation results in two years in prison for Marcos Maynar and reopens the debate on the Superman López case

The judicial resolution establishes that Maynar and Bartolomé supplied capsules labeled as “lactate,” “coffee,” or “strength,” as well as the medication Actovegin Forte, which is not authorized in Spain. However, the judge acquits them of the crime of sports doping as it was not proven that the substances were used for that purpose or that they caused specific harm to the athletes.

One of the names mentioned in the sentence is Miguel Ángel López. During the investigation, the Civil Guard intercepted a package addressed to the Colombian cyclist that contained capsules identified as “lactate” and Actovegin Forte tablets. However, the ruling also concludes that it has not been proven that the menotropin sent in 2022 was related to the cyclist or to his withdrawal from that year's Giro d'Italia.

This point could create a new scenario in the sports process that led the UCI to sanction López with a four-year suspension for possession and use of menotropin. Although the criminal sentence does not automatically invalidate the sports decision, it does leave some of the elements that were at the center of the investigation unproven.

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With this resolution, Spanish justice closes one of the largest investigations into the supply of substances to athletes in recent years, while the case of Miguel Ángel López could reignite debate in the sports and legal fields.