Spanish anti-doping authorities are reportedly unable to take immediate action against athletes suspected of involvement in Operation IREX anti-doping investigations because the official investigation into possible criminal activity has not yet been completed.

Last week, Spain's Guardia Civil police released the first update on their lengthy investigation into the doping ring. The investigation has so far resulted in the investigation of eight people and the arrest of two.

Among those being investigated in the case, codenamed "Ilex" and currently overseen by a judge in Cáceres, western Spain, is Vicente Verda, a former professional and former manager of the long defunct Kelme team. 2006, Verda is the first person to be arrested in the largest investigation into banned sports drugs, the largest investigation in Spanish history, was investigated by the "Operación Puerto," and was cleared several years later.

The case is widely believed to be related to a long-running investigation into Dr. Marcos Maynar, a resident of the Cáceres area. He had previously been banned for 10 years by the Portuguese Cycling Federation in 2009 for allegedly supplying banned drugs to the former LA-MSS team. According to Spanish media, Dr. Maynar has repeatedly denied any connection to doping.

The organization's clients paid up to 3,000 euros a year in exchange for doping products and specific training plans offered by the organization, it was reported last week by Guardia Civil.

Swimmers (one of them a minor), cyclists and soccer players from all over Spain and further afield were all reportedly involved.

However, according to El Periodico de España, the judge overseeing Caceres' trial apparently refused to name any of Spain's anti-doping authorities, the National Anti-Doping Commission. The judge reasoned that the trial is ongoing and that full depositions of potential witnesses have not yet been completed.

The stalemate over the anti-doping punishment apparently superficially echoes the Operacion Puerto scenario, in which the names of several athletes involved were never officially released and subsequently sanctioned.

Unlike Puerto, however, Ilex is an "ongoing" situation, making it impossible to predict whether similar delays will actually occur after the case is completed.