Attempted Murder By Zampa Gang
On 1 February 1977 Imbert survived a murder attempt by Tony Zampa's crew. Legend has it that one of the men said: "a swine like him isn't worth 'le coup de grâce' let him die like a dog". He was shot many times and doctors removed twenty-two projectiles, including seven bullets, from his body. His right arm remained paralysed as a result of the attack; though the French newspaper Le Monde wrote, "Small matter, he learned to shoot with the left".
Imbert's revenge came when eleven of Zampa's associates were gunned down for the failed murder attempt. Imbert was later arrested as he allegedly prepared for another killing. No charges were brought against him, and he was released after six months. When he came out a truce had been declared. After this period, Imbert seemed to lead a quiet life between the Caribbean, Italy and France. In the 1980s he was also the PR man for the discothèque "Bus Palladium" in Paris which was owned by his friend Richard Erman, a Russian born businessman.
He was a close friend of Francis "The Belgian" Vanverberghe, another mob boss whose early drug trafficking adventures were described in the movie The French Connection. Vanverberghe was shot dead in a betting club near the Champs Elysées, Paris, in September 2000.
Read more about this topic: Jacky Imbert
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