Former Italian professional rider Andrea Piccolo has been arrested in Naples, after police intercepted him in the city and found him in possession of counterfeit banknotes.
A report in the online Naples newspaper Fanpage.it recounted how Piccolo's arrest unfolded, with the 24-year-old's luxury Porsche Macan and San Marino licence plate drawing the attention of the Carabinieri police force.
Following a check of the car, €2000 in counterfeit €20 notes was discovered, alongside a telescopic baton.
Piccolo was arrested for possession of counterfeit banknotes and charged with unlawful possession of offensive objects, then was taken to a holding cell, awaiting trial. Two passengers, both male, who were present in the car with the former cyclist, were also charged.
Piccolo has been out of cycling since 2024, ever since EF Education-EasyPost fired him in June after he was stopped by Italian authorities while entering the country "on suspicion of transporting Human Growth Hormone."
He had already been in hot water with his team three months prior to his contract termination, after "taking a sleeping aid that was not approved by the team, though legal," which saw him face internal suspension without pay
Unable to terminate his contract at the time due to legal reasons surrounding the UCI standard rider contract, Piccolo returned to racing at what would become his final appearance as a pro at the Giro d'Italia.
The UCI confirmed a day later that the police search, which had led to his contract termination, came as a result of an investigation by the International Testing Agency (ITA) and collaboration with the National Anti-Doping Organisation of Italy (NADO Italia) and Italian law enforcement authorities (NAS Carabinieri).
Piccolo's racing career peaked in 2023 when he led the Vuelta a España after stage 2. While he managed no victories as a pro, he was a very talented young rider, finishing third at the junior World Championships time trial in Innsbruck in 2018, behind a certain Remco Evenepoel.
