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Six arrested in suspected doping related death of 21-year-old Linas Rumsas

Italian development team is accused of facilitating the doping of it's young athletes with EPO, growth hormone and pain killers.


Italian police made six doping-related arrests on Thursday in the Tuscan town of Lucca in connection with the death of 21-year-old Linas Rumsas. The young Lithuanian who rode for team Altopack-Eppella suddenly passed away in May of 2017. The authorities apprehended the team owner Luca Franceschi, sports director Elso Frediani, pharmacist Andrea Bianchi and ex-trainer Michele Viola for supplying young riders with doping products.

“Since the young man, in the weeks leading up to his death, had obtained excellent placings in particularly tough races, far superior to those obtained in the past, the suspicion immediately arose that the sudden death was due to the use or abuse of unauthorized drugs,” police said in a statement.

The Rumsas family has a long history with doping. Rumsas’s parents were found with doping products at the 2002 Tour de France after Raimondas Rumsas finished third overall. The next year, he tested positive for EPO and served a one-year doping ban. Additionally, Raimondas Jr. the older brother of Linas was suspended for four years in 2017 because of a doping violation after his brothers passing.

The police investigation into the death has revealed a doping network existed amoung those apprehended with the team owner recruiting promising talent, encouraging them to use doping products, and facilitated the transactions between pharmacists and the athletes according to the police. Development team Altopack Eppela is suspected of facilitating the doping of its riders with EPO, growth hormone and opiate-based painkillers.

In the raids on Thursday, police uncovered 25 vials of EPO at Viola’s home. Additional doping-related objects such as syringes, needles, and powerful painkillers were discovered at the home of sport’s director Franceschi’s parents. The Rumsas home was also raided in the investigation.

Those apprehended have been placed under house arrest while 16 other people are being probed in the investigation.

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