DCSA
The Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga is a multiagency body of the Department of Public Security under the direction of the Chief of Police –Director General of Public Security. It implements the guidelines issued by the Minister of the Interior in the areas of coordination of law enforcement agencies, planning and management of the law enforcement services with the aim of preventing and combating illicit traffic in drugs and psychotropic substances. The organization of the Direzione Centrale is regulated by the Interministerial Decree of 15 June 1991. Its staff is composed of an equal number of law enforcement officers from the State Police, the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza as well as civilian personnel of the Ministry of the Interior. The Director is a top-ranking officer from one of the three Italian law enforcement agencies and changes every three years on a rotation basis. In particular, the Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga, coordinates the info-operational activities of the law enforcement agencies involved in the fight against national and international drug trafficking, promoting new strategies and agreements with foreign counterparts through the Law Enforcement Attachés of the Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga posted to the sensitive areas and providing training to drug producing and transit countries.
BACKGROUND The present organization of the Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga dates back to the beginning of the nineties and is regulated by Article 1 of Law No. 16 of 15 January 1991. It inherited its duties, staff and equipment from the Central Antidrug Service, an office within Central Directorate of Criminal Police which once coordinated the fight against drugs by Law Enforcement Agencies according to Art 35 of Law No. 121 of 1 April 1981. Before that, on the basis of Article 7 of Law No. 685 of 22 December 1975, such duties had been carried out by the Central Office for the Direction and Coordination of the Law Enforcement Activities to Prevent and Combat the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs. Said Office was set up in 1976 and was composed of officers and officials of the former Directorate General of Public Security and of senior officers of the Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza. After more than 40 years from its creation, DCSA is one of the oldest and most successful multiagency bodies within the Italian Law Enforcement Agencies.
The Director
Major General of the Guardia di Finanza Antonino Maggiore
Born in Cormons (GO) on August 30, 1960, he attended the Guardia di Finanza Academy from 1979 to 1983. His career started at the Guardia di Finanza School as Commander of the Cadet Agents Company of the Nautical School in Gaeta, and then, after an experience as Commander of the Operational Section of the 5th Company in Naples, he became the Commander of the Cadet non-commissioned Officers Company of the 2nd Battalion in Cuneo, from September 1985 to September 1990. Since then, he has constantly worked at the Guardia di Finanza territorial units, taking numerous leading positions throughout Italy. He was the Company Commander in Imperia until 1993, and then he attended the Advanced Course of Tax Police at the Revenue Police School; he was the Commander of the 4th Group of Sections (Special Audit Team) from the Regional Tax Police Unit in Palermo (until July 1998) and in Turin (until July 2002). After being the Provincial Commander in Lecce, Varese and Genoa, he was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2014 and led the Regional Commands of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto. In September 2018, he was appointed Director of the Revenue Agency and President of the Revenue-Collection Agency, until December 2019. Since July 1, 2020, he is the Director of the Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga/Central Directorate for Antidrug Services.
He graduated in Law, Political Sciences and Economic-Financial Security Sciences and took a Master Degree in Business Tax Law at the “Luigi Bocconi” University in Milan. On December 27, 2012, he was awarded of the honorary title of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic by the Italian President.
