Angel “Memo” Heredia, an admitted steroids dealer testified today (Wednesday) that he set up Marion Jones with a three-drug cocktail of banned substances to boost her bid to win five medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Heredia said he mailed the oxygen-boosting EPO, growth hormone and insulin to Jones at the behest of her then-coach Trevor Graham, who faces federal charges of lying to federal agents about his relationship with Heredia. Graham has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Heredia testified for the second day at Graham’s trial that, at the coach’s behest, he also sold banned drugs to Olympic gold medal sprinters Antonio Pettigrew, Jerome Young, Tim Montgomery and Dennis Mitchell. Elite runners Ramon Clay, Duane Ross and Garfield Ellenwood also were customers, Heredia said.
Heredia said he counseled Graham against allowing Jones to combine the three drugs he mailed her into a single injection in the weeks before the Sydney games. Jones won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600-meter relay. She also won bronze in the 400-meter relay and the long jump.
“The main point for her was to make the team in the 400 event in order to win a fifth medal,” Heredia said. “He wanted to have everything untraceable.”
Heredia testified Tuesday that he obtained a litany of performance-enhancing drugs from Mexico and sent them directly to the athletes or to Graham to distribute. Heredia testified that several of the athletes met him in Mexico, but conceded he wrongly testified earlier to a grand jury that he met Graham in Mexico.
Heredia has yet to be cross-examined by Graham’s lawyer. Several of Graham’s former athletes also were expected to testify against him during the two-week trial.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.