The Italian police are conducting a major operation this Monday in Milan (north), with dozens of arrests and searches of ultra fans of football clubs Inter and Milanwith its leaders, suspected of “criminal infiltration”, with ties to the mafia.
“From the early hours of this morning, an extensive operation by the State Police and the Finance Guard is underway, coordinated by the Anti-Mafia Directorate of the Milan Prosecutor’s Office,” the same police force indicated in a joint statement. Those arrested are suspected of “crimes of criminal conspiracy, with an aggravation of the mafia method, in addition to extortion, damage and other serious crimes.”
In the maxi-operation in Milan, “with a focus on the ‘directive’ of the organized fans of the two Milanese soccer teams”, the agents also carried out other precautionary measures, search warrants and numerous searches.
Among those arrested was one of Inter’s main ultra leaders, Marco Ferdico, who was very close to Antonio Bellocco, who was murdered on September 4 by Andrea Beretta, leader of the club’s ‘ultras’. Luca Lucci, leader of the Milanese ultras, already convicted of drugs, was also arrested, in addition to Christian Rosiello, bodyguard of the famous Italian rapper Fedez, according to local media.
“The suspects are almost all related to the ultra fans of the two main Milanese teams and the crimes are related to the football business,” the note explains. There are a total of 19 precautionary measures, 16 in prison and 3 under house arrest.
The police operation took place several weeks after the killing of Belloco, one of the most recognized figures of the radical group Inter and linked to the ‘Ndrangheta, the powerful Calabrian mafia, who was stabbed by Beretta after being shot. It was then suspected that the fight between the two, which was fatal for Bellocco, could be related to a deeper framework of illegal businesses that is now being investigated by the Milan Prosecutor’s Office.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
