The notorious Italian criminal lawyer tells us about his fight against drugs after years of experience in the
defence of major criminal in the world of international drug trafficking

Trafficking in drugs is a phenomenon in great expansion, even in Italy. Ai it is said on the titles of the headlines last month: “Drug trafficking in Arezzo (9 October),” discovered a kilo of cocaine in Cosenza (15 October), “New drugs trafficking in Rome between VIP and characters of the show (4 November), “discovered drug trafficking between Abruzzo and Campania” (5 November).
It is not a chance. And to confirm it is the Italian journalist Luca Rastello, an expert on drug trafficking.
In his latest book, “’I am the market”’, published by Chiarelettere, Rastello tells the story of an unsuspecting bourgeois husband, who left Italy for South America and becomes a drug dealer. It’s an original analysis, from a new point of view, that of the trafficker, to understand how the illegal economy managesto infiltrate into that legal and condition it.
Rastello explains in the book why the phenomenon is growing, what ‘s the Italian situation and what could be a useful remedy for the problem. The lawyer Tirelli is one of the most famous lawyers in Italy, he knows about the events of the drug trafficking given its experience in the penalties rooms.
For those who are not familiar with the lawyer Tirelli, we can safely say that he has surely an international vocation. Speaks five languages, including English Spanish and Portuguese. Years of life spent in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Caracas and New York have profoundly affected the career choices of Tirelli, who has completed his studies and his cursus honorum in Italy, graduating in law at the University of Turin, and then getting a Masters in economy and Enterprise Law at the University “Carlo Cattaneo” in Castelli, Varese.
Today Alexandro Maria Tirelli has been admitted into the register of the Council of Lawyers of Torre Annunziata, the District Court of Appeal of Naples, and holding the legal profession as a criminal lawyer in Italy, mainly in the cities of Naples, Rome, Milan and Genoa. His office is also accessible from all over the world by Internet at www.tirelli-legal.com
Today we ask the lawyer Tirelli if he has read the book Rastello and what does he think about it.
Rastello’s book is wonderful, outstanding, opens minds to understand the traffic, teaches reading in the human soul and understand what moves a person to traffic in drugs.
This book is the crowning achievement of the work of an excellent journalist that has lasted several years. I follow and read the pieces of Rastello’s book since the nineties, when he began to direct the monthly Narcomafie. Even in my work as a lawyer I have always dealt with this argument. In addition to focusing on the consumer, I have always preferred to try to understand the criminal side, even internationally. How can drug dealers carry many tons around the world? Who covers and let them do it? How do they move? What international relations do they have? Rastello in his book chose to tell the story of one of them, clarifying some issues.
Even in Italy, is always on the agenda the discovery of drug trafficking secrets. A few days ago in Abruzzo, then in Rome, now in Campania. Is it a growing phenomenon?
Drug trafficking is always expanding. It ‘s a phenomenon profitable, because it produces instant wealth, and is constantly growing since too many years. To limit it have been widely adopted techniques widely bankruptcy. Even if today, natural drugs are slight drop in production, are on the rise the synthetic ones, widespread throughout all Europe. And even if production decreases do not decrease consumption, because the drugs are increasingly being cut, processed, modified and therefore always sold.
The United States, is a news of three days ago, have decided to raise men and military bases to combat drug trafficking. In Italy we have been implementing such measures?
In America, it is true, from the arrival of Obama have risen much efforts, including economic, to combat drug trafficking. But now we hope to see also concrete results. In Italy there are no immediate new measures now. Also because our military organization to fight drugs is already quite efficient. The point is that is not just needed the military component. So how can we really combat drug trafficking?
The problem is that drugs, particularly cocaine, is the currency of all the illicit trade in the world, including funding to states at war. However it has revealed useless to affect the output. Could have been helpful to have an immediate consensus, but has not solved the problem. It should be needed to invest in education, with social policies and direct teachings. Discouraging the demand for beating the drug market. This would be the most logical solution. Along with interventions such as anti -money laundering, the fight against tax havens, more control and transparency on national and international financial transactions.