Domenico Libri (; May 24, 1934 – May 1, 2006), also known as Don Mico, was an Italian criminal and a member of the

'Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate and secret society, criminal society based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered one of ...

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. Libri was a fugitive since June 1989 and included in the

list of most wanted fugitives in Italy The list of most wanted fugitives in Italy is a most wanted list published by the Italian Interior Ministry. It includes criminals who are considered extremely dangerous by the Polizia di Stato. The list was started in July 1992. There are also lis ...

until his capture in September 1992. At the time he was considered to be the 'Ndrangheta’s number one.Preso il numero uno della 'ndrangheta
La Repubblica, September 17, 1992

'Ndrangheta heritage

The Libri clan, headed by Domenico and his brother Pasquale, dominated the Cannavò neighbourhood of

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

. They moved into construction and were able to win public contracts for their company ''Edilizia Reggina'' due to their contacts with politicians, such as

Riccardo Misasi Riccardo is a male given name, Italian version of Ricardo or Richard. It also may be a surname. It means "Powerful Leader". It may refer to: People A–L *Riccardo Antoniazzi (1853–1912), Italian violin maker *Riccardo Bacchelli (1891–1985), ...

, a former Christian Democrat Education Minister.Third Party Head in Italy Resigns in Scandal
The New York Times, March 17, 1993 Libri's first arrest was in 1962, for illegal possession of firearms. In the following years multiple arrests and short prison sentences followed on charges for fraud, extortion, instigation to murder, murder, drug trafficking and criminal association.Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia
, Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, January 19, 1999

Second 'Ndrangheta war

Libri was closely connected to the De Stefano clan and sided with them when the so-called second 'Ndrangheta war broke out in 1985. After the murder of

Paolo De Stefano Paolo De Stefano (; died October 13, 1985) was an Italian mobster and member of the 'Ndrangheta who became the undisputed boss of Reggio Calabria. Together with his brothers Giovanni, Giorgio and Orazio he headed the De Stefano 'ndrina. Early ...

on October 13, 1985, Libri succeeded him as the leader of the alliance with

Giovanni Tegano Giovanni Tegano (; 8 November 1939 – 7 July 2021) was an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia. He was a fugitive since 1993 and was included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy, until his arrest in ...

. The bloody six-year war (1985–1991) between the Condello- Imerti clan and De Stefano-Tegano-Libri-Latella clan left 621 deaths.Godfather's arrest fuels fear of bloody conflict
The Observer, February 24, 2008Relazione annuale
Commissione parlamentare d’inchiesta sul fenomeno della criminalità organizzata mafiosa o similare, July 30, 2003 In the midst of the 'Ndrangheta war he was arrested on October 13, 1986, in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

(he had been banned by the court to reside in Calabria). Libri became one of the principal targets of the opposing clans. While in prison a

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

killed his son Pasquale Rocco Libri on September 10, 1988, as he was strolling in the prison yard. Six months later, on March 17, 1989, a sniper just missed Don Mico Libri, surrounded by Carabinieri, when he was leaving the court in Reggio Calabria where he had to appear in a trial against the 'Ndrangheta.Stavolta il 'cecchino' ha fallito
La Repubblica, March 18, 1989

Fugitive

He obtained a medical release for arteriopathy, which forced him to walk with a crutch. After being released from the hospital on June 2, 1989, Libri managed to escape his escort of eight Carabinieri and went on the run.'Giudici, l'imputato è fuggito'
La Repubblica, June 6, 1989 While on the run he returned to his strongly protected villa in Reggio Calabria to continue the war against rival clans. A peace for the bloody feud was brokered in September 1991 on the instigation of Domenico Libri. The conflict was settled with the help of other 'Ndrangheta bosses.

Antonio Nirta Antonio Nirta (April 22, 1919 – September 1, 2015) was a boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organization in Calabria, Italy. Together with his brothers Giuseppe, Francesco and Sebastiano, he ruled San Luca, a stronghold of the 'Ndrangheta. 'N ...

, head of the San Luca locale vouched for the De Stefano-Tegano and Libri, while

Antonio Mammoliti Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

vouched for the Condello-Imerti clan. Libri became a member of ''

Camera di Controllo The ''Camera di Controllo'' (Board of Control), is a collegial body of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. It is also known as ''La Provincia'' (the Province) or ''Camera di Compensazione'' (compensation board). It is composed o ...

'', a provincial commission of the 'Ndrangheta formed at the end of the

Second 'Ndrangheta war The Second 'Ndrangheta war was an internal struggle in the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal organisation in Calabria (southern Italy). The conflict raged from 1985–1991 in Reggio Calabria. Practically all the 'ndrine in the city of Reggio Calabria grou ...

in September 1991, to avoid further internal conflicts.Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia
, Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, January 19, 1999

Arrested in France

On September 17, 1992, he was arrested in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

).Criminal Fish Fall Into Police Net in Italy
Los Angeles Times, September 18, 1992 He was extradited to Italy. While on trial for murders and criminal association and his role in the Second 'Ndrangheta war, he was released for medical reason and placed under house arrest. According to prosecutor

Salvatore Boemi Salvatore may refer to: * Salvatore (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name * "Salvatore" (song), by Lana Del Rey, 2015 * Salvatore (band), a Norwegian instrumental rock band * '' Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams' ...

the release was "a slap in the face for those who have worked for the restoration of justice in Calabria."Firenze, il tribunale scarcera il padrino della ' ndrangheta
La Repubblica, February 13, 1998 His son Antonio Libri, also on the

, was arrested on May 23, 2000.Il nascondiglio di Libri era in casa del suocero
Gazzetta del Sud, May 24, 2000 In April 2002, he received six life sentences for 18 murders and criminal association in the Olimpia Trial against the 'Ndrangheta.
Il Tirreno, April 21, 2002 In and out of prison for medical reasons, he was arrested again in March 2006 in

Prato Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the north east of Tuscany, at the foot of Monte Retaia, elevation , the last peak in the Calvana chain. With more than 200,000 i ...

where he was living under house arrest.La vita anonima di Mico Libri, ergastolano a casa
Il Tirreno, March 2, 2006 Libri died on May 1, 2006, in the Secondigliano prison in Naples.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Libri, Domenico 1934 births 2006 deaths Fugitives Fugitives wanted by Italy Italian people convicted of murder Italian people who died in prison custody Italian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment 'Ndranghetisti 'Ndranghetisti sentenced to life imprisonment People convicted of murder by Italy People extradited from France People extradited to Italy People from Reggio Calabria Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Italy Prisoners who died in Italian detention