Interpol After Armstrong

[flicker]

Interpol? Does this mean that there is an investigation trying to find out how drugs and blood are moved across international borders? Or money laundering.
I do not understand Interpols purpose in cases like this.

 

[Cerberus]

Interpol? Does this mean that there is an investigation trying to find out how drugs and blood are moved across international borders? Or money laundering.
I do not understand Interpols purpose in cases like this.

I'm not an expert, but AFAIK Interpol isn't really a police force as such - they're more like a liaison agency between different police forces. I don't think there involvement means anything beyond that more than one nation's police force is involved, which given the nature of the investigation is no surprise.

 

[fatandfast]

Interpol? Does this mean that there is an investigation trying to find out how drugs and blood are moved across international borders? Or money laundering.
I do not understand Interpols purpose in cases like this.

Most likely they are interested in the purchase and transport of controlled substances by guys who are not supposed to be professional drug runners. The systematic purchase and instant clinic setup has caught them off guard. No matter what event you call the start of the war on drugs the policing agency(s) that were watching closely were obviously not watching close enough. If they looked at their wrists all the Festina drug clocks have stopped.

I suspect there will be an eastern block component to this thing..You can buy anything in Romanian,Bulgaria or Poland and get it to an EU border for 30 or 40 bucks in transport..I rode the other day with a doctor from Poland..he makes less than 1500 a month. last year I met a Polish fireman that takes his yearly vacation to pick grapes in Germany to earn extra money..he has been doing it for over 10 years.

 

[Oldman]

of course there could be a will to get the missing tax due on all these transactions and possible fines to the pharmaceutical companies, since the economy needs a lift...

can't really see any political will to turn sports inside out with massive allegations of doping, bribery and corruption....
as an aside the FIFA world cup was held in sth africa for only 1 reason in my opinion, the huge corruption that FIFA can perpetuate with impunity, they got the south government to give them legislative powers over the tournament...

if the Swiss government took a hard line with these sporting federations something might be done, but where do these federations bank

I think botH Italian and French law enforcement have shown interest pursuing high profile drug distribution. It's a popular way to validate an agency's budget; particularly in a stressed economy. Interpol would be interracting with them and possibly providing backup to the USADA case. The UCI problem could turn on an individual caught evading taxes or some infraction that would have them volunteer inciminating testimony. McQuaid's dealings in Ireland run deep and have more players but that's just another guess.

 

[Benotti69]

I think botH Italian and French law enforcement have shown interest pursuing high profile drug distribution. It's a popular way to validate an agency's budget; particularly in a stressed economy. Interpol would be interracting with them and possibly providing backup to the USADA case. The UCI problem could turn on an individual caught evading taxes or some infraction that would have them volunteer inciminating testimony. McQuaid's dealings in Ireland run deep and have more players but that's just another guess.

my post was semi tongue in cheek and semi serious

I think that if the Italian law enforcement agencies wanted to crack the sport doping rings they could have done it by now as they dont need to get special permission to bug phones if they have reasonable suspicion someone is doing something illegal, a state of affairs that berlusconi wants changed....Italian police are very good a listening to phone conversations so they could find out all they needed to put the main perpetrators away..
I dont recall why they busted the match fixing 2 years ago, i think it was 'nearly' by mistake as they were after the head of Juventus for another misdemeanour and caught him talking on the phone about fixing games

the french, well it is as you say more postering to boost budget's then a real desire...they've could have done it in 98 as they had the team banged to rights.

Ireland is far behind other european countries in such matters due to its size and sporting bodies not being near or at the main table in most cases...

McQuaid is i imagine currently a resident in Switzerland.

Interpol being involved, who knows how deeply?

 

[centri]

Not really. Going after and prosecuting the biggest most untouchable fish sets a president that would be noted by every rider, team, director, etc. in cycling. "If they can nab Armstrong, they can easily nail me".

I don't see that being the case but of course who really knows until it happens. I can see this getting rid of the systematic "top down" stuff but not the smaller "bottom only" cases.

Here's to things being cleaned up from the top (UCI) on down.

 

[centri]

There's nothing "lame" about it at all. The fact that there's apparently enough substantive evidence to convince not only the FDA to get involved but now WADA and Interpol as well suggests to me that those involved - not just Armstrong but yes, including him - could be in a whole sh**load of trouble.

I was following from your earlier post about them going after the UCI. I think it would be lame to simply bag Armstrong and some team members and staff versus shaking up the UCI and nailing whatever systematic doping can be proven.

 

[centri]

It would be foolish to ignore the litany of posts on this forum which discuss at length how people hope this investigation hits where it most needs to hit, the UCI. Time after time, posters on this site have recognized and discussed that the main problem is the system and the corrupt organization which feeds off it.

The Armstrong venom is a separate thing, living and growing independent of the Lowitsky/Interpol investigation.

Gotcha, thanks for that. I'm still a young rookie round these parts.

 

[Cobber]

Some days you're the hammer, and some days you're the nail indeed.

Are we predicting Armstrong to be the hammer or the nail once he ends up in prison?

 

[Oldman]

Are we predicting Armstrong to be the hammer or the nail once he ends up in prison?

As this goes on it's really hard to think he does time unless he actually gets indicted in the US and perjures himself. The public will make him feel like the nail if any of Floyd's accusations are confirmed by others.

 

[ManInFull]

As this goes on it's really hard to think he does time unless he actually gets indicted in the US and perjures himself. The public will make him feel like the nail if any of Floyd's accusations are confirmed by others.

The fact is, it is going to take a bunch of rats or one big rat, to really change public opinion about Lance. What if there is nothing but testimony and no real evidence? Let's face it--he's done a hell of a job to have avoided trouble so far.

 

[Cozy Beehive]

Let's face it--he's done a hell of a job to have avoided trouble so far.

So did Frank Abagnale, a globe trotter for many years who wrote $2.5 million of phony checks in every U.S. state and 26 countries.

 

[Cobber]

As this goes on it's really hard to think he does time unless he actually gets indicted in the US and perjures himself. The public will make him feel like the nail if any of Floyd's accusations are confirmed by others.

I am not sure of this...... since he partly owned Tailwind sports, the company that benefited from his TdF victories, any doping on his part could be considered fraud. With the amount of money involved this would likely be a jailable offense. Other potential crimes include the trafficking and distribution of controlled substances, money laundering, and probably others.

 

[Oldman]

I am not sure of this...... since he partly owned Tailwind sports, the company that benefited from his TdF victories, any doping on his part could be considered fraud. With the amount of money involved this would likely be a jailable offense. Other potential crimes include the trafficking and distribution of controlled substances, money laundering, and probably others.

His private doping is just that unless someone can tie the RED Items directly to him. He wouldn't do any more time than if he admitted he smoked pot.
His sponsors would want their money plus a pound of flesh. If he gets put through that process I'll bet his social circles will get real small. That would be the ultimate disgrace for him; to be a postscript joke in a Letterman monologue.

 

[Anonymous]

It is comical to see the groupies struggle to dismiss every new development in Armstrong's case as unimportant. If he does eventually go to jail Coolhand will say it is a well deserved vacation.

Does that idiot show up around here?

Either publicly or otherwise?