Spanish doctor charged in doping investigation

A prosecutor has brought the first formal charges against Eufemiano Fuentes and four others in Spain's long-running Operation Puerto doping scandal.

Judicial official Jose Manuel Garcia says it is up to a judge to decide whether to order a trial.

However, Garcia says he expected the doctor and the other suspects, including former cycling team owner Manolo Saiz, to stand trial in the case. The case began with police raids in May 2006 that netted steroids and blood equipment.

Fuentes also has been implicated in the Spanish Civil Guard's ongoing Operation Galgo investigation into doping in Spanish athletics.

Operation Puerto implicated more than 50 cyclists, including Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich and Alejandro Valverde.