Doping-Spanish police detain 11 after anti-doping raids

MADRID Nov 25 (Reuters) - Spanish police have detained 11 people after a series of raids to break up a sports doping ring, they said in a statement on Wednesday.

The operations in Valencia, Barcelona, Murcia and Granada, saw the detainees taken in for offences against public health related to doping in sport.

"The investigation (codenamed 'Grial') started at the beginning of August when the civil guard became aware of a group of people...supplying doping substances to people in different sporting disciplines," the statement said.

Among those arrested were a doctor with a sports and diet consultancy in Valencia who prepared training programmes, diets and supplements to improve sports performance.

Included in these plans were substances banned in the sporting world, including EPO and growth hormones, and masking agents to hide their usage.

The civil guard only gave the initials and occupations of the 11 detainees, but said the investigation was on-going and that there could be further arrests.

There were searches of 15 addresses, including houses and pharmacies, which turned up a large quantity of banned products.

(Writing by Mark Elkington, editing by Alan Baldwin. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

((madrid.sports@reuters.com; +34 91 585 2161; For Reuters sports blog Left Field go to blogs.reuters.com/sport))

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