Italian police have arrested several leaders of the hardcore fan groups of AC Milan and Inter Milan. The arrests, carried out by the Italian finance police, are part of a wider investigation into alleged criminal activities linked to the two rival clubs.
According to the authorities, the suspects face charges of criminal conspiracy aggravated by mafia methods, extortion, assault, and other serious crimes. The investigation focused on the financial activities of the ultras groups and their involvement in various criminal enterprises.
A total of 19 individuals were arrested, including Luca Lucci and Renato Bossetti, the heads of the Inter and Milan ultras, respectively. The arrests come just weeks after a high-profile murder involving one of Bossetti’s predecessors.
What a night that was 😍#InterMilan #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/DUQEGNc6DK
— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 23, 2024
Andrea Beretta, a known criminal figure, stabbed to death Antonio Bellocco, a reputed heir of a powerful ‘Ndrangheta mafia family, outside a boxing gym in Milan. Bellocco’s death sent shockwaves through the criminal underworld and raised concerns about the growing influence of organized crime within the ultras groups.
The incident highlighted suspicions that mafia organizations were infiltrating the fan groups, attracted by the lucrative financial opportunities they presented. It is alleged that some ultras groups have been involved in illicit activities such as ticket touting, drug dealing, and extortion.
Beretta himself had a prominent role within the Curva Nord section of the San Siro stadium, following the murder of Vittorio Boiocchi, another notorious criminal figure associated with the ultras. Boiocchi, who was killed in October 2022, had boasted about earning substantial sums of money through his position as an ultra leader.
