Operation Cabriol, the largest investigation against doping in Mallorca's trotting, has concluded without convictions. The last two accused have been acquitted as the court considered the crimes had prescribed due to the case's stagnation.
Operation Cabriol, one of the most ambitious investigations by the Civil Guard against doping in the trotting world in Mallorca, has ended without any convictions being issued. The last two accused remaining in the judicial proceedings were acquitted yesterday as the court deemed that the alleged crimes had prescribed due to the absolute halt of the case during the investigation phase in a court in Manacor.
The Public Prosecutor's Office, which initially sought three months of prison and a year of disqualification for the accused for a serious animal abuse offence, was the first to request the dismissal of the process during the hearing held in a criminal court in Palma. The judge granted the request and issued the acquittal immediately, which was also supported by the Balearic Federation of Trotting, which had appeared as a private prosecution, and the defendants' lawyers.
The events date back to April 2015, when agents from the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the Civil Guard arrested eight people and charged another twelve as part of Operation Cabriol. The searches were carried out at the Son Pardo racetrack in Palma and in Manacor, as well as in several stables on the island. The investigation focused on the doping of horses participating in Mallorca's trotting races, a practice that, according to investigators, endangered the health and lives of the animals.
The operation caused a real upheaval in the trotting world in Mallorca, as some of the main figures in the sport were among the accused. However, the judicial process dragged on for years in the Manacor investigating court, gradually losing momentum. Ultimately, the Public Prosecutor's Office only maintained charges against two men, whom they attributed the sale and supply of doping products to the horses of a stable, despite their lack of veterinary knowledge.
According to the public ministry, these practices caused significant overexertion in the animals, resulting in the deaths of three horses and serious injuries to another nine. In its provisional conclusions, the Public Prosecutor's Office charged the two accused with a serious animal abuse offence, already applying the mitigating factor of undue delays. However, the defence lawyers had requested the prescription of the case before the Provincial Court, which had not yet ruled on the matter.
In the preliminary hearing held yesterday, the Public Prosecutor's Office itself requested the dismissal of the proceedings, leading the judge to acquit the two accused. With this decision, Operation Cabriol closes eleven years later without any convictions being imposed, leaving a bitter taste in the Mallorca trotting world and in the fight against animal abuse in sports.
The Balearic Federation of Trotting, which had appeared as a private prosecution, joined the request for dismissal, facilitating the judicial decision. The lawyers for the two accused also expressed their agreement, thus closing a case that has marked a before and after in the history of trotting in the Balearic Islands.
The news has been met with surprise in the sector, as Operation Cabriol was considered a milestone in the fight against doping and animal abuse. However, the slowness of justice has prevented accountability, generating a debate about the need to expedite judicial procedures to prevent cases like this from going unpunished.
For trotting fans in Mallorca, the outcome of Operation Cabriol is a cold shower, as they hoped the case would serve as an example to eradicate bad practices in the sport. Now, the focus is on the measures that the Balearic Federation of Trotting may adopt to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
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