To gain a nickname or moniker like the ‘Merchant of Death’ and this is no joke folks Viktor Bout has absolutely lived up to that name for many years. In tonight’s deep dive, we’re diving deep into the terrifying life of Bout who like many knows is an infamous Russian arms dealer that has had it out for America and beyond for a while. He was notoriously captured by the Americans several years ago for trying to all but arm the Taliban and assist in downing U.S passenger planes.
Viktor Anatolyevich Bout is a Russian arms dealer; entrepreneur, and convicted criminal that was originally arrested by the Royal Thai Police in Thailand way back just before 2010. In a joint sting operation, the Americans and the Thai police arrested Bout on charges that he intended to kill American citizens; arm the Taliban, and had been trafficking major weapons for decades through various countries. He often was known for bypassing embargos among other things while having done so. This originally occurred back in August 2010.
How did he get caught?
According to records available about Bout, he was caught after attempting to sell weapons and arms to an undercover officer pretending to represent the Revolutionary Guard of Colombia. At the time, officials found that Bout had attempted to sell weapons and arms for use against the Americans in Colombia. He was later convicted in 2011 in Manhattan federal court for these very charges.
What about his history?
According to South African Intelligence (which has long been available), Bout is a Ukrainian that gained Russian citizenship following the dissolution of the Soviet Union which occurred in 1991. It is unclear exactly why he sought citizenship in Russia at the time though it is understood he had already been an international arms dealer.
For more information about Viktor Bout the New York Times lays out a further deep dive.
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