The Spanish Civil Guard announced Thursday that it has dismantled an international EPO trafficking network based in Barcelona, Spain, and El Pais (opens in new tab) reports that a three-year investigation has revealed that the network was run by several Serbs, one of one of whom lived in Barcelona and was found to have shipped banned drugs to amateur and professional athletes living in various European countries.

"In mid-2017, an investigation was launched after a series of athletes who tested positive for EPO cooperated with us and gave us a series of names, saying they got their products from a website supplied by Cadiz," said Spanish Anti-Doping, which provided information to the Spanish Civil Guard Jose Luis Terreros, director of the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency (AEPSAD), who provided the information to the Spanish Civil Guard.

El País reports that for the past decade, Andalucía Public Health has funded the network and supplied drugs through a dialysis clinic in Cádiz.

L'Equipe (open in new tab) reports that the drugs were obtained by the manager of this facility, a Spanish national.

The network then sold the drugs to some 260 athletes in the last year alone through several websites. The athletes reportedly were amateurs and professionals, as well as athletes from a variety of sports, including cycling.

The Cadiz Provincial Court has released a summary of the investigation, including a list of the athletes' names. These names will not be made public and will be sent to AEPSAD.

According to El Pais, the names of the athletes will remain private unless they are sanctioned. The purchase and use of banned drugs in sports is not subject to criminal penalties in Spain, but is punishable by a suspension of up to four years.

According to a report in L'Equipe, investigators estimate that "among them are a number of national and international athletes of different disciplines and levels who have used these doping substances to enhance their physical performance."

The Public Health and Doping Unit of the Central Operations Unit (UCO) of the Spanish Civil Guard, which was in charge of the investigation, has reported that, according to El País, in Catalonia and Andalusia, crimes against public health, membership in criminal organizations, laundering of capital, embezzlement, fraud against social security and money laundering Six people accused of crimes against public health, membership in criminal organizations, laundering of capital, embezzlement, fraud against social security and money laundering were arrested and investigated.

The network had a section dedicated to the sale of substances through seven website addresses that were operated by citizens of Serbian nationality and based in Barcelona. According to the Spanish Civil Guard, the network had been in operation for at least 10 years and reportedly provided substances to athletes throughout Europe.

According to El Pais, communication between sellers and buyers was conducted through an encrypted instant message network via an Austrian phone number. Investigators had access to the buyer's data, including e-mails, payment records, and proof of receipt of orders.

"We hope to receive the names from the court next week and start working on them," Teleros said. 'We will deal with the Spanish athletes and the rest will be sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency, where they will be distributed by the respective national anti-doping agencies.'

The Civil Guard noted that the quality of the EPO was questionable, as hundreds of pre-filled syringes were found at the clinic and stored in poor conditions.

"Although the EPO was of first quality and had no expiration date, the seller apparently did not store it at low temperatures, even though it was sent in a container that kept the temperature low, making it not only ineffective but also dangerous to the health of the person injecting," Teleros said.