Timeline of Operación Puerto

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Lessons learned from a decade of Operación Puerto

The Operación Puerto case broke in the month leading up to the 2006 Tour de France with Liberty Seguros manager Manolo Saiz the first name to hit the headlines when he was arrested outside a Madrid clinic while carrying large sums of cash. A new name suddenly arose from the chatter, that of Eufemiano Fuentes. The Spaniard would eventually be outed as a major player in helping cyclists to blood dope, and was convicted on charges of crimes against public health seven years later.

Operación Puerto was as significant, if not more so, than the 1998 Festina Affair, in that it uncovered a pervasive culture of sophisticated doping going on in professional cycling, one that would only be fully revealed when the US Anti-Doping Agency looked into Lance Armstrong and the US Postal Service team.Only a few athletes have been punished in the Puerto case, even though Fuentes had dozens of clients.

June 14, 2016 marked an important date in the course of the whole affair as a judge in Spain ruled that the 211 blood bags relating to the scandal would not, as had previously been ruled, be destroyed. They are to be handed over to the authorities, including the UCI and WADA, to be analysed with the possible identification of who they belonged to, though sanctions are highly unlikely given the ten-year statute of limitations in the WADA code.

2006

• May 23, 2006: Liberty Seguros director Manolo Saiz arrested on doping charges
• May 24, 2006: Spanish federation denies involvement in Saiz arrest
• May 25, 2006: Liberty Seguros terminates contract
• May 26, 2006: Saiz' team to continue racing, Fuentes says it was old blood, Comunidad Valenciana stays calm
• May 26, 2006: Ullrich and Basso deny involvement with Fuentes
• May 28, 2006: Fuentes released on bail
• May 29, 2006: Ullrich talks, Jaksche unsure as to future
• May 30, 2006: Sevilla admits to visiting the lab
• June 1, 2006: Comunidad Valenciana DS resigns
• June 2, 2006: Phonak sidelines Botero and Gutierrez
• June 2, 2006: AIGCP asks Saiz and Labarta to resign
• June 3, 2006: Sevilla declares his innocence, Sáiz's team becomes Astana-Würth
• June 7, 2006: Interviú publishes Fuentes' drug list
• June 9, 2006: Saiz steps aside
• June 13, 2006: Comunidad Valenciana's Tour invite withdrawn
• June 22, 2006: Astana-Würth OK for ProTour licence
• June 26, 2006: Hamilton and Ullrich linked to Operación Puerto
• June 26, 2006: Spanish media uncover Operación Puerto investigation details, Spanish championships not ridden after rider protest
• June 27, 2006: Tour organisers confirm Astana withdrawal request
• June 28, 2006: Ullrich Tour okay
• June 29, 2006: More names released in Operación Puerto, Astana-Würth OK to race Tour
• June 30, 2006: Ullrich, Sevilla and Pevenage suspended, The list gets longer, ASO rejects CAS decision,
• June 30, 2006: Astana-Würth leaves the Tour
• June 30, 2006: More riders named by UCI
• June 30, 2006: More riders suspended: Basso and Mancebo out
• June 30, 2006: Mancebo ends career
• July 1, 2006: Fuentes' code names athlete's dogs
• July 2, 2006: 38 pages of circumstantial evidence
• July 7, 2006: Saiz questioned
• July 9, 2006: Pevenage fired
• July 21, 2006: Ullrich, Sevilla fired
• July 26, 2006: National federations to receive Operación Puerto dossier
• August 13, 2006: Comunidad Valenciana to stop August 20
• August 15, 2006: Ullrich gets injunction, Swiss federation has papers
• August 17, 2006: Former Liberty five: 2/5 cleared, others still in limbo
• August 17, 2006: Swiss Cycling to hold Ullrich proceedings, AIGCP wants Phonak and Astana out now
• August 19, 2006: German investigators raid doctor's office and home
• August 22, 2006: Extensive doping alleged for Hamilton
• August 26, 2006: Cipollini denies link to Fuentes
• August 29, 2006: Basso case to be heard
• August 30, 2006: Basso hearing adjourned
• September 14, 2006: Ullrich's house searched in fraud investigation
• September 15, 2006: USA Cycling informed about Hamilton, Austrian federation waiting on Jaksche papers
• October 8, 2006: Puerto court orders Spanish federation not to act
• October 27, 2006: Basso's Operación Puerto case officially shelved
• October 28, 2006: Spanish federation drops Operación Puerto cases
• October 29, 2006: UCI disappointed at legal limbo, vow to reopen investigation
• November 3, 2006: Spanish anti-doping law passed
• November 9, 2006: Discovery formally announces Basso signing
• November 13, 2006: Botero cleared by federation
• November 24, 2006: Swiss federation opens Ullrich disciplinary hearings
• November 25, 2006: EPO found in eight bags of blood, Jaksche cleared to ride
• November 26, 2006: EPO blood bags identified?, Manzano accuses Saiz attorney
• November 28, 2006: Blood bags seized in Operación Puerto do not add up
• November 29, 2006: Zaballa returns with Caisse d'Epargne
• November 30, 2006: UCI asks for Spanish help
• December 1, 2006: Sevilla and T-mobile agree to part
• December 2, 2006: Operación Puerto riders called to testify
• December 13, 2006: First witnesses testify in Operación Puerto
• December 16, 2006: Saiz out, Unibet in ProTour
• December 18, 2006: Allan Davis case closed
• December 23, 2006: Polygraph confirms Manzano's claims

2007

• January 9, 2007: Spanish paper suggests link between Valverde and Fuentes
• January 20, 2007: Davis on his way to ProTour team contract
• March 4, 2007: Javier Pascual unemployed in Puerto fallout
• March 13, 2007: Operación Puerto dismissed but UCI and riders want resolution
• March 15, 2007: Puerto: prosecutors file appeal
• March 21, 2007: WADA & UCI: Operación Puerto investigation not complete
• April 4, 2007: Puerto blood confirmed to be Ullrich's
• April 16, 2007: McQuaid says Fuentes active again
• April 24, 2007: Italy collects Basso-related blood bags
• April 25, 2007: ASO pushes for Puerto-related suspensions
• April 29, 2007: Race orgs exclude Puerto riders, Riders sue Guardia Civil and Spanish federation head
• May 1, 2007: New dossier reveals more evidence
• May 1, 2007: Basso's request to leave Team Discovery Channel is granted
• May 3, 2007: CONI adjourns Basso hearing, McQuaid laments lack of time to resolve Operación Puerto before Grand Tours
• May 7, 2007: Basso admits involvement in Operación Puerto
• May 7, 2007: No EPO in Basso's blood bags but different for Valverde
• May 8, 2007: Basso: "It was only attempted doping"
• May 8, 2007: Basso: "I am Birillo"
• May 9, 2007: Scarponi: "I am Zapatero"
• May 9, 2007: Caisse d'Epargne pulls Zaballa and Plaza from Giro
• May 10, 2007: Tinkoff suspends Hamilton and Jaksche
• May 15, 2007: WADA granted access to Operación Puerto case
• May 15, 2007: CONI asks for Basso and Scarponi suspension
• May 15, 2007: Caisse d'Epargne to investigate its Puerto suspects
• May 16, 2007: Basso and Scarponi suspended
• May 25, 2007: Italian paper reports Bartoli is 'Sansone'
• June 16, 2007: Basso receives maximum suspension
• June 19, 2007: UCI demands ProTour riders' signatures on anti-doping agreement for Tour participation
• July 1, 2007: Jaksche admits taking banned substances & blood doping
• July 14, 2007: Scarponi banned for 18 months
• August 30, 2007: UCI says no Valverde for Worlds & initiates proceedings
• September 14, 2007: Records said to show Ullrich payments to Fuentes
• September 19, 2007: Spanish Federation confirms Operación Puerto dossier as unusable
• September 20, 2007: Jaksche suspended for one year
• September 26, 2007: Valverde cleared by Puerto judge
• December 1, 2007: German court orders Fuentes testimony
• December 6, 2007: Fuentes: "I am the famous cycling criminal"

2008

• January 10, 2008: CONI to hear Puerto witnesses, Austrian lab investigated
• February 15, 2008: Operación Puerto reopened in Spain
• April 14, 2008: Germans close Ullrich investigation, Spanish judge refuses to turn over blood to CAS
• June 26, 2008: CONI drops interrogation threats for foreign riders allegedly implicated in Puerto
• July 11, 2008: Valverde case: CAS suspends procedure
• September 27, 2008: Schleck named as Fuentes customer
• October 2, 2008: Puerto dropped by Spanish judge, again
• October 2, 2008: Schleck admits Fuentes payment
• October 4, 2008: Puerto dismissal appealed, again
• October 17, 2008: Basso ends suspension and is back with Liquigas

2009

• January 18, 2009: Operación Puerto opened again
• January 23, 2009: Caruso acquitted of Puerto involvement
• February 8, 2009: Eight charged in Operación Puerto
• February 19, 2009: Valverde under criminal investigation
• February 20, 2009: CONI considers Valverde case while UCI awaits verdict
• February 24, 2009: Spanish federation seeks access to Puerto blood bags
• March 2, 2009: WADA president Fahey asks for Puerto evidence
• March 13, 2009: Le Monde newspaper hit with fine over Puerto allegations
• April 1, 2009: Valverde: Italy requests two-year suspension
• May 1, 2009: International Cycling Union joins in on Valverde's hearing in Italy
• May 5, 2009: WADA and Spanish federation join CONI and UCI on Valverde
• May 11, 2009: Italian tribunal delivers Valverde two-year suspension
• July 7, 2009: Swiss open proceedings against Jan Ullrich
• August 2, 2009: Ullrich investigated for lying under oath
• September 9, 2009: Valverde free to race until end of 2009 season
• October 16, 2009: Operación Puerto delay scandalous, says McQuaid
• October 17, 2009: Ullrich visited doctor Fuentes 24 times
• December 3, 2009: WADA frustrated by delays in Valverde CAS cases
  
• December 11, 2009: Operacion Puerto: case closed
• December 12, 2009: WADA frustrated by Spanish courts in Puerto case

2010

• February 17, 2010: Swiss drop Ullrich doping investigation
• March 26, 2010: UCI appeals Swiss decision to close Ullrich investigation
• May 31, 2010: Valverde suspended for two years world-wide, keeps results
• May 31, 2010: UCI welcomes Valverde suspension, says justice has been done
• May 31, 2010: Valverde to fight suspension
• July 8, 2010: Pévenage confesses to Operación Puerto involvement
• September 27, 2010: Operacion Puerto court cases facing an end?
• December 13, 2010: Fuentes indicted in Spain but out of jail

2011

• January 5, 2011: Pereiro vindicated over Puerto denials

2012

• February 9, 2012: Jan Ullrich given two-year ban by CAS
• February 10, 2012: Ullrich apologises for Fuentes dealings
• August 31, 2012: Riis: “I do not know Fuentes”
• November 23, 2012: Operación Puerto revived, Fuentes facing jail
• November 24, 2012: Saiz reacts to Operación Puerto developments

2013

• January 28, 2013: Delays mark start of Operación Puerto hearing
• January 29, 2013: Ivan Basso testifies: "I've regained my dignity"
• January 29, 2013: Fuentes testifies: we gave transfusions for health reasons
• January 30, 2013: Operación Puerto trial: Fuentes goes on the attack
• February 1, 2013: Saiz plays down his links with Fuentes in Operación Puerto
• February 2, 2013: Team Blanco suspend Luis Leon Sanchez
• February 5, 2013: Doubts over health standards used by Puerto defendants
• February 8, 2013: Cancellara denies Dr. Fuentes links
• February 9, 2013: Report: Mario Cipollini was a client of Fuentes
• February 9, 2013: Cecchini denies sending Cipollini to Dr. Fuentes
• February 9, 2013: Cipollini denies fresh links to Fuentes
• February 11, 2013: Jaksche provides damning testimony against Fuentes and Saiz
• February 12, 2013: CONI to investigate Cipollini following doping allegations
• February 12, 2013: Beloki, Etxebarria and Osa deny links with Fuentes
• February 12, 2013: Riis stays reticent on Operación Puerto
• February 12, 2013: Report: Basso agreed to pay Fuentes $94,000 for doping
• February 13, 2013: Manzano delivers shocking evidence at Puerto trial
• February 15, 2013: Transfusions “could have led to deaths” says expert
• February 19, 2013: Hamilton outlines doping and blood transfusion program
• February 19, 2013: Contador excused from Operacion Puerto testimony
• February 20, 2013: Katusha provisionally suspends Vicioso for failure to appear in Operación Puerto trial
• February 20, 2013: 51 Puerto blood bags remain unlocated
• March 4, 2013: Fuentes' own witness harms defence
• March 12, 2013: Puerto prosecutor insists on two-year sentences for Fuentes and associates
• March 15, 2013: Operación Puerto prosecutor dismantles Fuentes defense in final arguments
• March 20, 2013: Report: All Operación Puerto blood bags located
• March 21, 2013: Fuentes willing to give up client list
• April 2, 2013: Puerto: Defense says Fuentes acted inside Spanish law
• April 30, 2013: Fuentes found guilty in Operación Puerto trial
• April 30, 2013: Saiz, Belda satisfied with Puerto acquittal
• April 30, 2013: Spanish anti-doping to appeal for Puerto evidence
• May 1, 2013: WADA left reeling after Operación Puerto verdict
• May 10, 2013: UCI to appeal Puerto decision not to release blood bags for analysis
• May 17, 2013: Madrid prosecutor to appeal Puerto verdict
• August 1, 2013: Nine appeals launched against Operación Puerto verdict

For a complete list of links related to the 2013 Operación Puerto trial, click here.

• 2015
• February 10, 2015: Time running out on Operación Puerto blood bags
• February 12, 2015: WADA, UCI await decision in Operación Puerto appeal
• December 4, 2015: Operación Puerto appeals sentence due for January 2016

2016

• January 12, 2016: Expected resolution to Operación Puerto appeals this week
• February 8, 2016: Destruction of Puerto blood bags ‘would be a hard blow’ says Spain’s anti-doping head
• June 14, 2016: Operación Puerto blood bags to be handed over to anti-doping authorities
• June 14, 2016: UCI and WADA welcome Operación Puerto verdict
• June 16, 2016: Fuentes recognizes 'some top sports names' could be owners of Puerto blood bags
• June 17, 2016: Spain's Anti-Doping Head denies Puerto verdict narrowly missed WADA statute of limitations deadline
• July 6, 2016: WADA, UCI in possession of Operacion Puerto blood samples
• December 23, 2016: More Operacion Puerto athletes could be officially named in weeks

2017

• WADA struggling over legality of naming Operacion Puerto athletes
• Spanish court stops identification of Operacion Puerto athletes
• WADA still pursuing legal possibilities in Operacion Puerto case

2018

• Spanish court authorises release of Operacion Puerto blood bags to Italian Olympic Committee
• WADA continues battle to name athletes involved in Operacion Puerto
• WADA have seven Operacion Puerto names, but the world might never know them
• Valverde: I shouldn't be asked about Operacion Puerto

2019

• WADA identifies the DNA of 11 athletes implicated in Operacion Puerto
• WADA nearly done with DNA analysis of Operacion Puerto samples, but names will not be made public
• History will be the judge of Operacion Puerto links, says Cipollini

 2020

• Operación Puerto, the evolution of the internet and the Cyclingnews News Flash