Feared gangster Pasquale Barbaro murdered for being ‘mafia traitor’

He was one of Australia's most-feared gangsters until he was gunned down in a hail of bullets. More than 30 years later, we reveal who was behind Pasquale Barbaro’s murder.

A man once dubbed one of the most powerful gangsters in Australia was set to reveal intimate details about mafia-related murders in Australia, including that of Colin Winchester in January 1989, before he was gunned down on a suburban street.

News Corp Australia can reveal Pasquale Barbaro, 57, was shot dead in Brisbane in March 1990 after agreeing to give evidence to the National Crime Authority.

Another Italian mafia-linked informer, who had been working with Mr Winchester, was recorded as saying someone “was talking” in Brisbane in April 1989 and within days Barbaro was shot and wounded.

Recordings heard that the “traitor”, if proven, was for the bullet.

Pasquale Peter Barbaro, 57, was shot dead outside his Brisbane home in 1990.

It would be almost another year before a second attempt would be made on the crime figure’s life, this time with success outside his Runcorn home.

There were reports he had been cut as well as shot, a sign he had done something forbidden to the omerta – the breaking of an Italian mafia code of silence.

By that time it is understood he had spoken to federal authorities about a rival, who was running heroin into Queensland, and with whom he was in a dispute.

Barbaro was also involved with other drug and money operations related to Griffith and his former hometown of Canberra.

The Runcorn, Brisbane home where Pasquale Peter Barbaro was murdered.

Much of the imported drugs were being shipped through a network from the Italian port of Gioia Tauro and across Australia through a well-known transportation company with known links to organised crime.

At the time of Barbaro’s death, there was speculation it was related to 20 mafia-related executions in 12 years linked to internal drug feuds, including the killing of five Italian Australians on business visas in Italy.

But after six years of exhaustive investigations, Queensland police said there was no evidence of it being a mafia hit on Barbaro “in spite” of what federal authorities – namely the NCA – were saying.

At the time of the Winchester inquiries, links were made to several high-profile crime figures and drug-related operations including Barbaro, George Freeman, Lennie McPherson, a prominent Sydney barrister, a senior politician and corrupt cop Roger Rogerson.

In a statement on Sunday night, the AFP declared there was no open investigation into the Winchester matter and “no recent” review.

“Our thoughts are always with the Winchester family,” a spokesperson said.

Despite the AFP’s own intelligence and reports on the ‘ndrangheta referencing the Italian Mafia and the Winchester case including reports from Italian counterparts, the spokesperson said there “is no evidence to suggest Italian organised crime was responsible for the death of one of our own”.

Originally published as Feared gangster Pasquale Barbaro murdered for being ‘mafia traitor’