Italian police arrest 19 people in massive probe targeting mafia links to Milan soccer 'ultra' fans

ROME (AP) — Italian police arrested 19 people, accused of criminal ties with the powerful ‘Ndrangheta mafia group, in a move that decimated the fan clubs backing Serie A teams Inter Milan and AC Milan.

Prosecutors said at a press conference on Monday that possible charges include criminal association, with the use of “mafia methods,” extortion, assault and other serious offenses.

According to the wide investigation, the criminal ring was linked to ‘Ndrangheta – the Italian mafia organization that has emerged in recent years as one of the most powerful crime syndicates in the world, rivaling the better-known Sicilian mob.

Prosecutors allege that the suspects have attempted to take control of all the lucrative business activities around Milan’s Giuseppe Meazza stadium — also known as San Siro – including parking, food, tickets and souvenir sales. Investigators said that some of the suspects might also have been involved in drug trafficking.

Police searched the houses of over 50 people, including Giancarlo Lombardi, a once top AC Milan fan known as “The Baron,” as well as that of Antonio Bellocco, a former local ’Ndrangheta boss who was killed a few weeks ago.

Among those arrested were Luca Lucci and Renato Bosetti, leaders of the AC Milan and Inter Milan “ultras” fan groups respectively. Lucci had been previously convicted for drug-related charges.

Christian Rosiello, described by local media as the bodyguard of popular Italian rapper Fedez, was also among the detained.

“This investigation shows the risks of infiltration creeping into professional and non-professional soccer by organized crime,” said Italy’s anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Melillo. “We need to stop pretending not to see these risks.”

Milan prosecutor Marcello Viola clarified that Milan’s two soccer clubs are “offended parties” in the investigation, having put in place rules to prevent wrongdoing.

“But they will also have to prove that they have severed any relationship with deviant supporters,” Viola added.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Milillo, center left, and Milan's Prosecutor Marcello Viola, center right, attend a news conference at the Milan's court, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Milillo gestures as he speaks during a news conference at the Milan's court, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Milillo, left is flanked by Milan's Prosecutor Marcello Viola during a news conference at the Milan's court, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Fronr from left, National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Milillo, Milan's Prosecutor Marcello Viola and Milan's Police commissioner Bruno Maria Megale attend a news conference at the Milan's court, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)