Guardia di Finanza is essentially responsible for dealing with financial crime and smuggling; it has also evolved into Italy's primary agency for suppressing the illegal drug trade.

[2] The mission and institutional tasks of Guardia di Finanza are stated in law 189 of 23 April 1959, and 68/2001 and are subdivided into priority ones (preventing, investigating and reporting financial evasions and violations, overseeing the compliance with the provisions of politico-economic interest and surveillance at sea for financial police purposes) and contribution ones (maintaining public order and safety and political-military defence of the borders).

The primary mission of the Guardia di Finanza is to protect the legal economy and the businesses operating in compliance with the law while ensuring that the Republic, the European Union, the regions, and the local governments can rely on a regular income and appropriate use of the resources meant for the community, and for supporting policies for economic and social revival and development.

Its activities are connected with the financial, economic, judiciary and public safety: tax evasion, financial crimes, smuggling, money laundering, international illegal drug trafficking, illegal immigration, human trafficking, modern slavery, customs and borders checks, copyright violations, anti-Mafia operations, credit card fraud, cybercrime, counterfeiting currency, terrorist financing, maintaining public order, and safety, political and military defence of the Italian borders.

Therefore, the Guardia di Finanza is a police force with general jurisdiction over all economic and financial matters; it also contributes to the maintenance of order and public security and military defence along national borders.

141 dated 8 April 1881, the Customs Guards Corps became the "Corps of the Royal Finance Guard" (Corpo della Regia Guardia di Finanza) whose task was to "impede, suppress and report smuggling activities and any other violation and transgression of financial laws and regulations", and to safeguard the interests of the tax administration, as well as to co-participate in enforcing law and order and public security.

68, dated 19 March 2001, whilst confirming the Corps’ configuration as a military structure, enhanced its role as a police force having general competence on all economic, financial and judicial matters for the safeguard of the public budget and that of the regions, of the local authorities and of the European Union.

They seized drugs with an estimated street value of approximately $950 million apprehending the merchant ship that transported the cocaine from South America and an Italy fishing trawler that was being used for the illicit transfer at sea.

The "peculiar packaging methods and the presence of a luminous device to allow tracking" suggested that the haul was dumped at sea by a cargo ship in order for it to be recovered later, the statement said.

On 31 January 2019 the Guardia di Finanza seized more than 2 tons of cocaine in Genoa, northern Italy, which were on board a ship coming from Colombia and heading to Barcelona, Spain.

On 29 July 2019, the Guardia di Finanza of Genoa seized 368 kg (811 lb) of cocaine, with the collaboration and undercover agents of the United States D.E.A., the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Colombian National Police.

On 1 July 2020, a world record in drugs was seized by the Italian Guardia di Finanza in Naples: 14 tons of amphetamines, and 84 million tablets with logo "captagon" produced in Syria by ISIS/Daesh to finance terrorism.

This is the largest seizure of amphetamines in the world, carried out by the Neapolitan Guardia di Finanza in the execution of a specific decree issued by the Public Prosecutor of Naples - DDA and developed as part of a complex investigation activity delegated to the GICO (organized crime investigation unit of the Guardia di Finanza) against a network of criminal groups aiming to import a huge amount of drugs for European consumers.

The paper cylinders, about 2 metres high and 140 cm in diameter - likely built in Germany - were designed in multilayer in order to conceal the drugs — a perfect wall against the scan detection.

A total of 14 tons of amphetamines have been found, which means 84 million tablets, bearing the symbol of the "captagon" which distinguishes the "jihad drug" made by ISIS.

Once the chemical plants of production are set, ISIS can easily produce large amounts of tablets for the world market of synthetic drugs, and therefore quickly fund their terror plots.

On 19 June 2021, the Guardia di Finanza, during a special operation to fight smuggling and narcotics trafficking, seized 6 tonnes of hashish found aboard a USA-flagged yacht off the west coast of Sicily.

On 6 June 2022, Italian Guardia di Finanza pulled off one of Europe's biggest-ever drug impoundments, seizing 4.3 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Trieste.

The Guardia di Finanza agents said their work had uncovered a “dense network” of ties between South American cocaine producers and European buyers, who answered to organized crime groups operating across Italy, including in Calabria, home of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia.

Officer cadets for the general and aeronaval branches are recruited through competitive examinations open to Italian citizens, not over 22 years of age, with a high school diploma giving access to university studies.

Participation in the competition for the recruitment of inspectors in the general and naval branches is open to Italian citizens aged between 18 and 26 years, having a diploma of secondary school giving access to university studies.

[13] Inspector cadets attend the Scuola ispettori e sovrintendenti della Guardia di Finanza in L'Aquila for three years, at the same time studying at the local university, finally graduating with a bachelor's degree in business law and appointment as warrant officers.