Latest news with #Ndrangheta
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Italy seizes $164 million from businessmen allegedly tied to 'Ndrangheta mafia
MILAN, June 26 (Reuters) - An Italian court has confiscated assets in Italy and Germany worth over 140 million euros ($164 million) from five men active in the oil distribution industry who are accused of tax fraud and links to the 'Ndrangheta, tax police said on Thursday. Guardia di Finanza police (Gdf) in the southern city of Reggio Calabria said the five Italian businessmen allegedly "managed the entire distribution chain of oil products from the warehouse to the final roadside retailers, interposing several companies with the aim of systematically evading taxes." The unnamed five are alleged to have links with, and in some cases to be members of, 'Ndrangheta clans, with the task of laundering the profits from criminal activities through their business activities, the Gdf said in a statement. As a result, a court in Reggio Calabria seized 79 properties and 85 vehicles in various parts of Italy, 28 wholesale petroleum product companies, three of which are based in Germany, a farm and a real estate company plus four luxury watches and a million euros in cash. The total estimated value of the seized assets exceeds 140 million euros. Originally from the poor southern region of Calabria, the 'Ndrangheta has evolved into Italy's most powerful mafia organisation, and has spread across Europe and the rest of the world, penetrating into so-called white-collar crime. The national anti-mafia agency (DIA) said last month in its annual report that Italy's mafia is turning away from violent turf wars to collaborate in drug trafficking, prostitution rings and money laundering. ($1 = 0.8536 euros)
Daily Tribune
18-06-2025
- Daily Tribune
Milan Ultras Jailed in Mafia-Linked Trial
TDT | Manama Fans tied to AC Milan and Inter sentenced over crimes involving 'Ndrangheta influence Sixteen hardcore football fans from AC Milan and Inter have been sentenced to prison by an Italian judge, following a fast-track trial exposing mafia infiltration in the city's ultra scene. The supporters—convicted of crimes ranging from murder and extortion to criminal association—received sentences of two to ten years. The verdict marks a significant moment in Italy's long-running battle against the criminal undercurrents in fan culture. Prosecutors allege the ultra groups operated as 'private militias,' working with the powerful 'Ndrangheta mafia and far-right groups to control illicit schemes around San Siro stadium, including ticket scams and protection rackets. Andrea Beretta, former leader of Inter's ultras, was sentenced to 10 years for the murder of Antonio Bellocco, a mafia figure and fellow fan. Beretta later turned state witness, earning a lighter sentence. AC Milan's ultra chief Luca Lucci, also under separate investigation for drug trafficking, was handed 10 years plus four years' probation for attempted murder and mafia association. Around 200 AC Milan fans rallied outside the Milan courtroom as the verdicts were delivered. Each convicted fan was ordered to pay €50,000 in damages to their club, plus €20,000 to Serie A. Civil proceedings may follow for further compensation. A second verdict involving three additional AC Milan ultras is expected on June 19. Investigators say the Milan case is part of a broader trend, with criminal groups increasingly infiltrating ultra factions across Italy and beyond—echoing recent findings in Greece.
New Straits Times
18-06-2025
- New Straits Times
Italian judge sentences AC Milan, Inter ultras in case linked to mafia infiltration
MILAN: An Italian judge yesterday sentenced 16 Inter and AC Milan hardline 'ultra' soccer fans to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for crimes including murder, extortion and criminal association with links to the 'Ndrangheta mafia. The verdicts followed a fast-track trial held behind closed doors in a high security court attached to Milan's San Vittore prison. The case resulted from the arrest of 19 people last September following an investigation by Milan prosecutors and the office of the national anti-mafia prosecutor. A second trial, which involves three other AC Milan ultras, will deliver its verdict on June 19. Prosecutors argued that the ultra groups acted as "private militias" with criminal influence far beyond the stadium, alleging infiltration by both the mafia and far-right extremist groups. Around 200 AC Milan fans demonstrated outside the court in solidarity with their fellow ultras before the verdicts were handed down. Judge Rossana Mongiardo sentenced Andrea Beretta, former leader of Inter Milan's ultras, to 10 years in prison. He had confessed to the murder in September of Antonio Bellocco, a leading figure in the 'Ndrangheta and a fellow Inter ultra. After his arrest, Beretta became a state witness and cooperated with investigators, contributing to a lower sentence than might otherwise be applied in a murder case. Luca Lucci, the historic leader of AC Milan's ultras, who is also under investigation in a parallel case for international drug trafficking, was sentenced to 10 years in prison plus four years of probation on charges of criminal association and attempted murder. At the end of the trial, the defence lawyers had dismissed the prosecution's charges as "a house of cards". In a fast-track trial, cases are heard by a judge behind closed doors without witnesses. Defendants get their sentences reduced by a third if they agree to the process. The judge also ordered an immediately enforceable provision of 50,000 euros ($58,000) each payable to Inter and Milan, plus an additional 20,000 euros to Italy's Serie A soccer league. Any further damages will be assessed separately in civil proceedings. Leaders of the ultras, together with the 'Ndrangheta mafia, ran ticket scams and protection rackets on drink stands and car parks around the city's San Siro stadium, which both clubs share, prosecutors said. According to investigators, the case discovered in Milan is not the only one in Italy where crime bosses and the far-right are tapping into the muscle and money-spinning activities of hardline 'ultra' soccer fans. Similar issues have been uncovered in Greece where police have made dozens of arrests as they investigate the alleged links between violent sports fans and criminal gangs.
The Sun
18-06-2025
- The Sun
Organised crime and murder: Top Inter and AC Milan ultras imprisoned
HARDCORE supporters of Serie A giants Inter Milan and AC Milan were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for a range of crimes including criminal conspiracy and murder, following a probe into illegal activities of so-called 'ultra' groups. All 16 people standing trial for a variety of offences, in a fast-track procedure which began in March, were found guilty and handed sentences which added up to 90 years. The crimes broadly involved activities around the iconic San Siro stadium on matchdays, from ticket touting to control of parking, sales from concession stands and taking payment from people without tickets and letting them into the stadium. Andrea Beretta was one of three people handed the harshest sentence, the former leading Inter ultra being found guilty of criminal conspiracy aggravated by mafia methods and the murder of fellow top Inter ultra and mobster Antonio Bellocco. Beretta turned state's witness after stabbing to death Bellocco during an altercation outside a boxing gym in a Milan suburb, weeks before the arrest in September of 19 leading Inter and Milan ultras. The murder of Bellocco was especially shocking due to his status as a scion of an 'Ndrangheta mafia family, from the southern Italian region of Calabria, which bears his surname. Beretta was also one of six people to be arrested in April for the murder of notorious ultra and career criminal Vittorio Boiocchi in October 2022. - Power struggle - He stepped up to take over the 'Curva Nord' section of the San Siro from Boiocchi who was gunned down outside his house at the age of 69 as part of a power struggle between rival factions. Beretta and Marco Ferdico -- sentenced to eight years -- used Bellocco's 'Ndrangheta connections to push aside more traditional football hooligans, linked with far-right politics, who were bidding for top billing among the Inter ultras. Milan's top ultra Luca Lucci was also given 10 years in prison for criminal conspiracy and planning in 2019 the attempted murder of a rival ultra, Enzo Anghinelli. His right-hand man Daniele Cataldo, judged to be the man who carried out the attack on Anghinelli, was handed the same prison sentence. The fast-track trial, known as 'rito abbreviato', is a legal procedure in Italian law in which defendants are judged on the basis of evidence brought by prosecutors, with no debate of that evidence by legal teams. The procedure allows trials to be completed in a much shorter space of time than the years it takes for the ordinary judicial procedure, under which the remaining three people arrested in September began their trial in February. That trio includes Francesco Lucci, who often took charge of the Milan ultras during his brother Luca's frequent problems with the law for offences that include drug trafficking and the assault of an Inter fan who was blinded and later committed suicide. Neither of the clubs were charged in relation to the crimes, and were awarded 50,000 euros each as civil defendants and damaged parties in the trial.
The Sun
18-06-2025
- The Sun
Inter, AC Milan ultras jailed up to 10 years in Italy
HARDCORE supporters of Serie A giants Inter Milan and AC Milan were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for a range of crimes including criminal conspiracy and murder, following a probe into illegal activities of so-called 'ultra' groups. All 16 people standing trial for a variety of offences, in a fast-track procedure which began in March, were found guilty and handed sentences which added up to 90 years. The crimes broadly involved activities around the iconic San Siro stadium on matchdays, from ticket touting to control of parking, sales from concession stands and taking payment from people without tickets and letting them into the stadium. Andrea Beretta was one of three people handed the harshest sentence, the former leading Inter ultra being found guilty of criminal conspiracy aggravated by mafia methods and the murder of fellow top Inter ultra and mobster Antonio Bellocco. Beretta turned state's witness after stabbing to death Bellocco during an altercation outside a boxing gym in a Milan suburb, weeks before the arrest in September of 19 leading Inter and Milan ultras. The murder of Bellocco was especially shocking due to his status as a scion of an 'Ndrangheta mafia family, from the southern Italian region of Calabria, which bears his surname. Beretta was also one of six people to be arrested in April for the murder of notorious ultra and career criminal Vittorio Boiocchi in October 2022. - Power struggle - He stepped up to take over the 'Curva Nord' section of the San Siro from Boiocchi who was gunned down outside his house at the age of 69 as part of a power struggle between rival factions. Beretta and Marco Ferdico -- sentenced to eight years -- used Bellocco's 'Ndrangheta connections to push aside more traditional football hooligans, linked with far-right politics, who were bidding for top billing among the Inter ultras. Milan's top ultra Luca Lucci was also given 10 years in prison for criminal conspiracy and planning in 2019 the attempted murder of a rival ultra, Enzo Anghinelli. His right-hand man Daniele Cataldo, judged to be the man who carried out the attack on Anghinelli, was handed the same prison sentence. The fast-track trial, known as 'rito abbreviato', is a legal procedure in Italian law in which defendants are judged on the basis of evidence brought by prosecutors, with no debate of that evidence by legal teams. The procedure allows trials to be completed in a much shorter space of time than the years it takes for the ordinary judicial procedure, under which the remaining three people arrested in September began their trial in February. That trio includes Francesco Lucci, who often took charge of the Milan ultras during his brother Luca's frequent problems with the law for offences that include drug trafficking and the assault of an Inter fan who was blinded and later committed suicide. Neither of the clubs were charged in relation to the crimes, and were awarded 50,000 euros each as civil defendants and damaged parties in the trial.
