Giuseppe Barbaro (Italian pronunciation: [ɡaeˈtaːno ˈbarbaro]; born 24 May 1956 in Platì), also known as 'u Sparitu ("the Disappeared"),[1] is a boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria, Italy.
[5] He is considered to be one of the key players in the complex secretive negotiations with the authorities that returned the freedom to Milan-based entrepreneur Alessandra Sgarella, who was kidnapped on 11 December 1997, and released after 266 days on 4 September 1998, after paying a US$5 million ransom.
[6] The money extorted with kidnappings was invested in drug trafficking and construction in northern Italy, in particularly around Buccinasco, near Milan.
The tunnels – most running parallel to the town's sewer system – were sophisticated and in some places large enough to drive a truck through.
Some of the tunnels emerged outside the town close to woodland, while others open into animal pens and barns on local farms.