Pubdate: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Copyright: 2000 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Contact: PO Box 120191, San Diego, CA, 92112-0191 Fax: (619) 293-1440 Website: http://www.uniontrib.com/ Forum: http://www.uniontrib.com/cgi-bin/WebX Author: Reuters FRENCH CONNECTION DRUG FIGURE SLAIN PARIS -- One of the last survivors of the notorious French Connection drug-trafficking era, Francis "the Belgian" Vanverberghe, was shot dead in a Paris betting shop yesterday, police said. Vanverberghe, 54, was hit several times at close range by a gunman, who escaped on the back of an accomplice's motorbike. A bystander in the shop, in Paris's smart Eighth Arrondissement, was injured in the attack. Jailed for 12 years in 1977 for belonging to the French Connection drug gang based in the southern port of Marseille, Vanverberghe was considered one of the Mediterranean city's last underworld godfathers. The gang inspired the 1971 Oscar-winning film "The French Connection" starring Gene Hackman. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D