Oil for Drugs
Encyclopedia
The Oil for Drugs case is an Italian
doping case against doctor Carlo Santuccione and a number of accomplices, started in 2003. He is accused of administering prohibited doping
products to professional and amateur athletes, to enhance their performance as well as being involved in doping network across Italy
.
to inject EPO before Milan – San Remo. Di Luca said that he would visit the Doctor that evening with teammate Alessandro Spezialetti
. Later that evening the video surveillance of Santuccione's office showed Santuccione preparing two disposable syringes with EPO and exiting his office to where Di Luca and Spezialetti were waiting outside. A teammate of Di Luca and Spezialetti, Eddy Mazzoleni
also sent SMS
messages to Santuccione at this time mentioning Di Luca and hormone use.
Following this surveillance the NAS squad conducted coordinated surprise raids at team hotels as well as at certain rider's homes on the night of May 24, 2004. Eight riders (all clients of Santuccione) from six different teams were involved. These were :
No illegal substances were found.
The NAS raid was part of a much larger raid carried out in 28 Italian cities involving 138 professional and amateur athletes, doctors and others who were under suspicion of dealing or using doping in several sports. However by May 2004, only two arrests had been made. One of these involved a pharmacist.
was given a three month suspension due to his involvement in the case. On December 18, 2007 Doctor Santuccione was given a lifetime ban by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) due to his involvement in the Oil for Drugs case and after having already serving a lengthy ban for a previous doping offense. On October 26, 2007 the Italian pole vault
er Giuseppe Gibilisco
was given a two year ban for his involvement. On April 8, 2008 Mazzoleni was given a two year suspension due to his involvement in the case.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
doping case against doctor Carlo Santuccione and a number of accomplices, started in 2003. He is accused of administering prohibited doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
products to professional and amateur athletes, to enhance their performance as well as being involved in doping network across Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Death of Amateur cyclist
The catalyst to start the investigation was the death of an amateur cyclist in Italy that was suspicious. The death of this unnamed cyclist which occurred around December 2002 led to an investigation by the Italian authorities. The State Prosecutor started and coordinated the investigation.Police action
Italy's Anti-Narcotic Group (NAS) began an investigation, this included tapping the phones of Doctor Santuccione and installing a hidden camera in his office. On March 3, 2004, they recorded a phone call in which Santuccione advised the professional cyclist Danilo Di LucaDanilo Di Luca
Danilo Di Luca is an Italian professional road racing cyclist who rode for numerous UCI Professional Continental teams throughout his career including Liquigas-Bianchi and . He holds victories in the Giro di Lombardia in 2001, the 2005 UCI ProTour and won both the Giro d'Italia and the spring...
to inject EPO before Milan – San Remo. Di Luca said that he would visit the Doctor that evening with teammate Alessandro Spezialetti
Alessandro Spezialetti
Alessandro Spezialetti is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for . He is known as a lieutenant, or top domestique in Grand Tours.-External links:*...
. Later that evening the video surveillance of Santuccione's office showed Santuccione preparing two disposable syringes with EPO and exiting his office to where Di Luca and Spezialetti were waiting outside. A teammate of Di Luca and Spezialetti, Eddy Mazzoleni
Eddy Mazzoleni
Eddy Mazzoleni is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for UCI ProTour Astana Team....
also sent SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
messages to Santuccione at this time mentioning Di Luca and hormone use.
Following this surveillance the NAS squad conducted coordinated surprise raids at team hotels as well as at certain rider's homes on the night of May 24, 2004. Eight riders (all clients of Santuccione) from six different teams were involved. These were :
- Alessio Galletti and Mario Scirea from Domina VacanzeDomina VacanzeDomina Vacanze is a hotel group based in Italy. They are best known for the professional cycling team they sponsored. For the 2005 season the team competed in the 2005 UCI ProTour however they didn't have the budget of the other teams and produced very few wins...
- Fabio SacchiFabio SacchiFabio Sacchi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for professional continental team Preti Mangimi.- Palmares :* Trofeo Città di Borgomanero * Milano–Torino...
from - Eddy MazzoleniEddy MazzoleniEddy Mazzoleni is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for UCI ProTour Astana Team....
, Danilo Di LucaDanilo Di LucaDanilo Di Luca is an Italian professional road racing cyclist who rode for numerous UCI Professional Continental teams throughout his career including Liquigas-Bianchi and . He holds victories in the Giro di Lombardia in 2001, the 2005 UCI ProTour and won both the Giro d'Italia and the spring...
and Alessandro SpezialettiAlessandro SpezialettiAlessandro Spezialetti is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for . He is known as a lieutenant, or top domestique in Grand Tours.-External links:*...
from - Ruggero MarzoliRuggero MarzoliRuggero Marzoli is an Italian professional road bicycle racer. - Major achievements :2002...
from Acqua & Sapone - Giuseppe MuragliaGiuseppe MuragliaGiuseppe Muraglia is an Italian racing cyclist currently riding for the Italian team D'Angelo & Antenucci-Nippo. In October 2007 he was suspended from riding for two years following a positive test after winning the Clásica de Almería.-Professional career:In 2007 he tested positive for hCG after...
from Formaggi Pinzolo Fiava - Simone Masciarelli from
No illegal substances were found.
The NAS raid was part of a much larger raid carried out in 28 Italian cities involving 138 professional and amateur athletes, doctors and others who were under suspicion of dealing or using doping in several sports. However by May 2004, only two arrests had been made. One of these involved a pharmacist.
Suspensions & Bans
Danilo Di LucaDanilo Di Luca
Danilo Di Luca is an Italian professional road racing cyclist who rode for numerous UCI Professional Continental teams throughout his career including Liquigas-Bianchi and . He holds victories in the Giro di Lombardia in 2001, the 2005 UCI ProTour and won both the Giro d'Italia and the spring...
was given a three month suspension due to his involvement in the case. On December 18, 2007 Doctor Santuccione was given a lifetime ban by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) due to his involvement in the Oil for Drugs case and after having already serving a lengthy ban for a previous doping offense. On October 26, 2007 the Italian pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er Giuseppe Gibilisco
Giuseppe Gibilisco
Giuseppe Gibilisco is an Italian pole vaulter, who won the 2003 World Championships with a personal best of 5.90 m. He followed this with a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics.-Career:...
was given a two year ban for his involvement. On April 8, 2008 Mazzoleni was given a two year suspension due to his involvement in the case.