The suspects allegedly belong to 'Ndrangheta, based in southern Calabria region, Milan-based Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.
The suspects were detained in various places in Lombardy region, the capital of which is Milan, as well as in Calabria on a variety of charges including money laundering, abuse of office, arson, real estate speculation and contract-rigging in public works for the Expo Milano 2015.
Prosecutors in Milan said the group had close ties with politicians, officials, entrepreneurs and bankers who provided to them confidential information and financial support, according to Corriere della Sera.
Among the arrested was a former center-left councilor of Rho, a town located west of Milan, Luigi Calogero Addisi, suspected of money laundering, abuse of office and abetting organized crime.
An entrepreneur and suspected 'Ndrangheta boss, Giuseppe Galati, was also detained on Tuesday for allegedly having obtained an anti-mafia certification before procuring two Expo-related sub-contracts worth 450,000 euros (573,153 U.S. dollars).
The Expo Milano 2015, which will run from May 1 to Oct. 31 next year, has been facing serious corruption problems that have caused delays in construction works at the exposition site.
Several officials involved in the alleged corruption activities have been put under house arrest recently, including a former top manager at Expo Milano's managing company, Antonio Acerbo.
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