Giuseppe Vinci

**Gaetano Giuseppe Vinci** (born July 5, 1996) is an Italian lawyer most known for winning a well-known court case in Italy called the _"Marijuana Express"_ trial.
In this case, his client was facing up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to 260,000 euros for international drug trafficking, but was fully acquitted.

## Biography

Gaetano Giuseppe Vinci was born in Policoro (Province of Matera, Italy). He is a descendant of the captain _Filippo Vinci di Tursi_, a Garibaldian hero who died in 1861 at about 25 years of age, after being mortally wounded during a clash with brigands in southern Italy following Italian unification. Filippo Vinci di Tursi was noble-born, the third of four sons of _Don Giuseppe Vinci_ and _Donna Concetta Santoro_.

His father, Filippo Vinci, who shares the name of the patriot, is a cassation lawyer and was a candidate for mayor of Policoro in the 2012 local elections. His cousin, Domenico Vinci, who shares the name of one of the brothers of Filippo Vinci di Tursi, is also a lawyer. His uncle, Luciano Natale Vinci, is a lawyer as well. His sister, Marilina Anglona Vinci, is a trainee lawyer.

Vinci went to a classical high school and studied law at the University of Bari. After finishing his training, he became a lawyer at the Bar Association of Matera at age 27. He followed the usual academic path and completed all the steps in the shortest time allowed in Italy to become a lawyer, about five years earlier than the national average. Because of this, he was one of the youngest lawyers to qualify in the country.

## Career

In April 2024 the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, that is a special police unit in Italy that investigates mafia-related crimes, arrested 14 people during a night-time operation. The action was called a "Crackdown on the Calabrian Mafia (the 'Ndrangheta) and the Apulian Mafia". Vinci's client was released two weeks later after the first appeal hearing by the Court of Review. The trial is still going on.

In the "_Marijuana Express_" case, Vinci defended a client accused of producing, selling, and having illegal drugs. The man was found not guilty in October 2024, even though he risked 20 years in prison and a fine of €260,000. The case was in the news in Italy because police from the _Guardia di Finanza_ pretended to be delivery workers and delivered a package from Barcelona, Spain, which had 600 grams of cannabis. The trial ended because the Attorney General did not appeal the not-guilty decision.

In January 2025, a woman was shopping at an _Eurospin_ supermarket, a popular discount supermarket chain in Italy, when a worker hit her by mistake with a pallet jack. She was badly hurt and went to the hospital. Her right arm stopped working in June 2025. Emergency services were not called. Vinci, as her lawyer, filed charges for _"very serious injuries"_ and _"not helping a person in danger"_. These are crimes under Articles 583 and 593 of the Italian Penal Code. In English law, these are like grievous bodily harm and duty to rescue.

In August 2025, a serious road accident occurred on the Basilicata coast when a 61-year-old motorcyclist hit a wild boar crossing the road. The crash was very strong: the man was thrown several meters away, and the animal died immediately. Medical staff arrived quickly and took the man to the _San Carlo_ Hospital in Potenza because of his serious injuries.
After more than a month in hospital, the man survived, and doctors said it was almost a miracle. After the accident his lawyer, Gaetano Giuseppe Vinci, strongly criticized the Region of Basilicata for not taking enough safety measures to prevent such accidents. He said the situation was “very serious” and “a matter of life and death.” Vinci called on the regional government to act quickly to protect people and to take all necessary steps to stop similar accidents in the future.

## Other websites

- Gaetano Giuseppe Vinci on Avvocato360

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Giuseppe Vinci
- **image**:
- **caption**: Vinci inside the criminal courtroom in 2025
- **birth name**: Gaetano Giuseppe Vinci
- **birth place**: Policoro, Italy
- **alma mater**: University of Bari
- **occupation**: Criminal defense lawyer