Former Jamaican sprinters charged in drugs conspiracy amid Tokyo Olympics

Kingston, Jamaica:  Jamaican athletes Dewayne Barrett and O’Neil Wright were charged by federal prosecutors on Thursday for supplying drugs to athletes in advance of the Tokyo Olympics.

Barrett, one of the two former elite sprinters now working as track coaches, is alleged to be part of a widening conspiracy to provide banned performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.

The incident was disclosed in the Southern District of New York, where Wright of Liberia and Barrett were charged with providing narcotics to sprinters from Switzerland, Britain, and Nigeria. It is believed that the drugs were supplied to prepare the athletes for the Tokyo Games.

Moreover, the former sprinter won a silver medal for Jamaica in the 4×400 relay at the World Indoor Championships in 2008. However, Wright was a 200 and 400m sprinter for Liberia, who ran at the 2005 track world championships.

As per the sources, the allegation says that Wright and Barrett worked with Eric Lira, who has already been proven guilty under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act.

Notably, the act was passed in 2020 to target wide-ranging doping schemes across the globe.

Interestingly, one of the athletes, Lira, has worked with Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, who was a 2008 Olympic silver medallist, was banned for 11 years for taking human growth hormone and the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO).

EPO and Hgh were among the drugs Barrett and Wright were discussing with Lira and labelled as “Co-conspirator 1” in the accusation.

“Prices. CC-1 responded via text message: ‘100 million stem cells at $ 1900, Human Placent is $350, hgh 12 mg $450”, the indictment said, in recounting a text exchange between Barrett and Lira.

Notably, the indictment briefed an exchange with Okagbare, who is referred to as “Athlete 1,” in which the Jamaican asked: “How do you need us to help you and (another athlete) be gold medalist?” and later: “U need a coach that will lie for you.”

The case is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).