Ana Montana, the model and partner of Minnesota Timberwolves guard LaMelo Ball, has been arrested in North Carolina on felony drug-related charges.
Montana, whose legal name is Analicia Chaves, faces two felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance through fraud or forgery.
She also faces two misdemeanor charges for simple possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance. The allegations date to February 21.
The mother of Ball’s son was being held by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office on a $20,000 bond. Montana has previously been linked romantically to soccer players Karim Benzema and Axel Witsel.
Authorities issued a warrant for Montana’s arrest on September 22. She was taken into custody on Monday.
According to the warrant, investigators allege Montana obtained alprazolam, the generic form of Xanax, from a Walgreens pharmacy using a DEA registration number and medical provider identification allegedly stolen from a doctor.
The model and partner of NBA star LaMelo Ball has been arrested on felony drug charges
Ana Montana faces two felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or forgery, along with two misdemeanor counts of simple possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance
Montana addressed the arrest in an Instagram post Monday, saying she had recently gone through a “difficult and unexpected situation” and was grateful for the support of her family, friends and online followers.
Because the case is now a legal matter, Montana said she could not discuss it in detail. She also claimed that some media coverage had failed to provide the full context and asked the public to consider the personal impact of turning painful circumstances into entertainment. She said she would allow the legal process to continue and requested privacy.
Montana said she has dealt with anxiety for years and has tried to manage it privately. She urged people to show compassion toward those facing anxiety and other mental health challenges, adding that public discussion without full context can be difficult.
She said her priorities are her son, family, faith and preserving the peace they have worked to build. Montana added that she would respect the legal process and would not make additional public comments about the case.
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Montana also reaffirmed her commitment to her nonprofit foundation and her advocacy for women navigating IVF and fertility treatment. She described that work as a central part of her purpose.
“Thank you to everyone who has shown me compassion, understanding, and support,” Montana wrote. “Your kindness has meant so much. I’m choosing to move forward with faith, family, and purpose.”
Montana founded the I Am Fertility nonprofit, which provides education and support to women dealing with fertility-related challenges.
In a statement to TMZ, Montana’s attorney said the charges allege that a doctor used a fraudulent DEA registration and National Provider Identifier number to prescribe alprazolam for Chaves. The lawyer said Montana then used that prescription to collect the medication from a pharmacy.
Ball is preparing for his first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves after being traded
Montana discussed her legal troubles in an emotional statement shared on Instagram
The attorney added that the possession allegations appear to stem from Montana having the alprazolam after obtaining it from the pharmacy with the prescription allegedly issued by the doctor.
Montana and Ball have been romantically linked since 2021. They welcomed their first child, a son named LaOne, in January but did not publicly announce his birth until May.
Former Hornets star Ball is poised to begin his first season with the Timberwolves after he formed part of a complicated four-team trade with Brooklyn, Charlotte and Chicago.
He played in only 43 per cent of Charlotte’s games over a three-year stretch from 2022-25 before a promising 2025-26 season that helped propel the Hornets into the play-in games.
Ball has shown a recklessness on and off the court at times, too. But the Wolves will give him a stronger team around him than he ever had with the Hornets, and six years into his NBA career the 6-foot-7 Ball is still just 25.
