The man known as Russia’s “Merchant of Death” is officially back in business. Viktor Bout, one of the world’s most notorious arms dealers, has returned to his craft less than two years after being released from a ten-year prison sentence. Bout’s lengthy history of selling weapons to American foes coupled with the unprecedented interconnectivity found between nations small and large seen today could create a whirlwind of new problems for international authorities seeking to limit the proliferation of weapons during a period of tense geopolitical relations on both the eastern and western hemispheres.
Bout, a former member of the Soviet military, came to prominence after several decades of résumé building in which he masterminded the smuggling of weapons from Eastern Europe into Africa and the Middle East following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Over this period, Bout developed into a significant person of interest in international anti-crime circles given the growing scope of his operations across international borders, the high-risk jurisdictions in which he was operating, and the high-profile individuals and organizations he was marketing his services to – many of which were commonly found on international watch and sanctions lists. Bout was able to evade prosecution for his wrongdoing for some time before ultimately being apprehended as part of a sting operation orchestrated by U.S. DEA agents posing as buyers on behalf of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a now disbanded militia that was previously designated as a terrorist organization by the United States government. Bout was ultimately extradited from Thailand to the United States in 2010 and was found guilty of various crimes that included delivering anti-aircraft missiles, aiding terrorist organizations, money laundering, and even directly conspiring to kill American citizens. At the time, his arrest and ultimate conviction was a huge win for law enforcement both domestically and abroad, and the culmination of years of work and countless hours of manpower required to take down an individual responsible for perpetuating so much evil.
Unfortunately these efforts were proven for naught, as Bout was released after serving only 10 years of his 25+ year sentence, gaining his release as part of a highly controversial 1-for-1 prisoner swap initiated by the Biden/Harris administration. In the December 2022 deal, Bout’s release was exchanged for the release of jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner who was being detained in Russian prison after being found guilty on charges of smuggling and possession of cannabis while visiting the country in August of 2022. Making these developments more troubling was the fact that Russia ultimately balked at releasing imprisoned former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who had been jailed in Russia on espionage charges in 2018, this after Whelan was an integral part of the initial negotiations with the Kremlin in a potential Bout deal. Adding insult to injury as part of their efforts to justify the swap, following the trade representatives of the Biden/Harris administration claimed that Viktor Bout was no longer a legitimate threat, this in spite of him obviously maintaining close ties to the Russian government and not being all that far removed from his business dealings at the time of his release. At the time, a U.S. official explained to CBS News that, “As part of any decision-making process on whether to commute a sentence, the U.S. government always conducts a security assessment by intelligence experts” and adding that government would not move forward if there was a reason to be concerned.2 They continued, “In Bout’s case, he has not had access to his former networks for over a decade, and the supply/demand for arms has changed drastically. When he was apprehended, there was an excess supply of weapons. Now, Russia can’t get enough of them. Bout had also served the majority of his sentence and is not someone active in recent criminal activity. That said, the U.S. will of course remain vigilant.”2 In hindsight however, it appears the government’s assessment could not have been more wrong.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on troubling developments involving Bout that have revealed that not only is he once again a significant threat to national security, but that this threat is arguably greater than ever. Since his release, Bout has reportedly dipped into the political realm, joining a pro-Moscow far-right political party, winning a seat in a local assembly in 2023. In addition, Bout is also now involved in small arms sales to Yemen’s Houthi militants – a group backed by the heavily-sanctioned Iranian government. Earlier this year, Bout was directly involved in the negotiation of a $10 million automatic weapons purchase made by Houthi emissaries, posing a significant threat to the U.S. government’s efforts to protect international vessels and oil tankers moving through Red Sea shipping lanes from raids organized by the militant groups.1 While currently less significant in scale than his dealings in the 90’s and early 2000’s, the Biden administration still fears that Bout may expand his offerings to include more advanced anti-air and anti-ship weaponry – though reports indicate there is no evidence of such an expansion to date.1 The WSJ adds that the first two anticipated deliveries to the Houthi’s will be mostly AK-74 assault rifles, but may later come to include other weapons held by the Kremlin that were supposedly discussed between the two parties in an August meeting held in Moscow. These reportedly include Kornet antitank missiles and antiaircraft weapons.1 Though not significantly large with respect to quantity nor power of the weapons supplied, the small arm shipments that have begun to take place are nevertheless a violation of current international sanctions, this as the U.S. has also branded the Houthis as a terrorist organization. With missiles in tow, the Houthis could pose significant issues with respect to American interests moving forward. Couple this with the growing threat posed by ties that appear to be strengthening between Russia and Iran – two of the United States primary political adversaries at current – seen over recent years and even greater turmoil could be on the horizon
Once again, the Merchant of Death is at large and proliferating weapons that can cause further destabilization in the Middle East during an already tumultuous period in the region. Given current Russian and Iranian sanctions, he will also be looking to pollute the international financial markets with dirty money by laundering the funds derived from his illicit weapons sales to allow his operations to continue. Unfortunately for American citizens left in the crosshairs, the questionable decisions made by the government in recent years have reared their ugly head and set law enforcement organizations back at square one in trying to once again stop Viktor Bout. Financial institutions are also reminded once again to remain wary of transactions with potential ties to Russia during this period of heavy sanctions.
Citations
- Faucon, Benoit, et al. “Putin’s ‘merchant of Death’ Is Back in the Arms Business. This Time Selling to the Houthis.” The Wall Street Journal, 7 Oct. 2024.
- Triay, Andres, et al. “Brittney Griner Arrives in U.S. Following Her Release by Russia in Prisoner Swap for Arms Dealer Viktor Bout.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 10 Dec. 2022.
