Francesco Barbaro (Castanu)
Encyclopedia
Francesco Barbaro ), also known as U'Castanu, is a boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia
-type criminal organisation based in Calabria
, Italy
. Born in Platì
, he is the head of the Barbaro 'ndrina
. He was known as the king of kidnapping in the 1980s. He became a member of La Provincia, a provincial commission of the 'Ndrangheta formed at the end of the Second 'Ndrangheta war in September 1991, to avoid further internal conflicts.
. In the 1950s the clan was involved in a bloody feud with the Mammoliti 'ndrina
. In the end the Mammoliti clan prevailed and the Barbaros moved to Platì
.
Many of the 'Ndrangheta clans in Platì, such as Trimboli, Sergi, Romeo, Papalia and Marando are associated through blood relations, which center around the Barbaro.
Platì has been called the "cradle of kidnapping" and it is suspected that kidnap victims were held within a complex network of underground tunnels. The money extorted with kidnappings was invested in drug trafficking and construction in northern Italy, in particularly around Buccinasco
, near Milan
. The clan participated in a cartel of 'Ndrangheta families involved in cocaine trafficking with the Mafia family of Mariano Agate
.
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
-type criminal organisation based in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Born in Platì
Platì
Platì is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria, southern Italy. It rises 300 metres above the sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte mountains and is located next to the Aspromonte National Park...
, he is the head of the Barbaro 'ndrina
Barbaro 'ndrina
The Barbaro 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is currently based in Platì...
. He was known as the king of kidnapping in the 1980s. He became a member of La Provincia, a provincial commission of the 'Ndrangheta formed at the end of the Second 'Ndrangheta war in September 1991, to avoid further internal conflicts.
'Ndrangheta heritage
The clan originally hailed from Castellace in the municipality of Oppido MamertinaOppido Mamertina
Oppido Mamertina is a town and comune of the province of Reggio Calabria in Calabria in southern Italy at about 62 kilometres northeast of Reggio Calabria and about 120 kilometres southwest of Catanzaro....
. In the 1950s the clan was involved in a bloody feud with the Mammoliti 'ndrina
Mammoliti 'ndrina
The Mammoliti 'ndrina is a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Castellace and Oppido Mamertina in the plain of Gioia Tauro in southern Calabria on the Tyrrhenian coast. The clan is considered to be one of the more...
. In the end the Mammoliti clan prevailed and the Barbaros moved to Platì
Platì
Platì is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria, southern Italy. It rises 300 metres above the sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte mountains and is located next to the Aspromonte National Park...
.
Many of the 'Ndrangheta clans in Platì, such as Trimboli, Sergi, Romeo, Papalia and Marando are associated through blood relations, which center around the Barbaro.
Platì has been called the "cradle of kidnapping" and it is suspected that kidnap victims were held within a complex network of underground tunnels. The money extorted with kidnappings was invested in drug trafficking and construction in northern Italy, in particularly around Buccinasco
Buccinasco
Buccinasco is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 7 km southwest of Milan.-History:...
, near Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. The clan participated in a cartel of 'Ndrangheta families involved in cocaine trafficking with the Mafia family of Mariano Agate
Mariano Agate
Mariano Agate is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is the boss of Mazara del Vallo Mafia family since the 1970s when he replaced the old boss Mariano Licari. He also was the boss of the mandamento of Mazara, including the Mafia families of Marsala, Salemi and Vita...
.