WAR: Global Arms - Trafficking Network Designated by US (Update: Viktor Bout Extradited)

Viktor Bout, arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday March 6, 2008.



Photo: AP


Thais Detain Alleged `Merchant of Death'

WhooT

Fantastic!

Thanks Hellmutt!

Some other sources.


Douglas Farah: Viktor Bout Arrested in Thailand in a Perfect Storm


TYR: We Must Ask You, Please, To Come Quietly, For this Is the Cadogan Hotel...


Counterterrorism Blog: Why Was Viktor Bout in Thailand When He Was Arrested?


Why was he in Thailand?

New ATS "breaking news" thread here:


Viktor Bout "Merchant of Death" Arrested in Thailand (by northwolf)



Photo: AP

The DEA apparently intercepted emails from Viktor Bout's Gmail account, among other things...


FT.com:Viktor Bout – elusive entrepreneur




DEA agents posing as "representatives of FARC", set up a meeting with Bout at the hotel.


Lord of War unphased in Bangkok as US seeks extradition Times March 7 08

March 7 2008

And Viktor Vasilyevich Bout, 41, who name is usually preceded by ‘The Merchant of Death’ or ‘Lord of War’, looked as if he did not have a care in the world as he was paraded before the press at Thai police headquarters in Bangkok.

[---]

According to the Justice Department in Washington Bout and his colleague Andrew Smulian, who is on the run, told DEA agents they had 100 surface to air missiles ready, plus helicopters and armour piercing rockets. He could drop them into Columbia by parachute.

Here's a press release from the DEA.


International Arms Dealer Arrested On Terrorism Charges In Bangkok

March 6, 2008

DEA Investigation Nabs Victor Bout for Conspiracy to Provide SAMs to a Foreign Terrorist Organization

[---]

In between his meetings with the CSs, Smulian spoke to Bout over a cellphone provided to him by one of the CSs at the direction of the DEA. During one of these conversations, Bout and Smulian discussed the $5 million delivery fee for the weapons.

Bout and Smulian are charged with conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment.

The U.S. plans to pursue the extradition of the defendants from Thailand.

The US wants him. The Russians "wants him". Everybody wants him, but he's still in Thailand...

Here's a couple of recent videos from RussiaToday.


"'Merchant of Death' arrested in Thailand"


"Bout vs Bush" (interview with Viktor Bout)

Some more articles. Viktor Bout is quoted as saying: "The game is over", when he was handcuffed and led away. He will face Thai court first, and then he'll likely be extradited to either the US or Russia.


Times Online: Bangkok sting nets Russia’s ‘merchant of death’



UPI.com: Arms dealer will face Thai court first



RIA Novosti: Lawyers for 'Merchant of Death' to seek his extradition to Russia


Douglas Farah: Now The Fun Begins With Russia Over Bout Arrest

There must be a degree of panic among parts of the Russian intel structure that Bout could sink them all if he is not brought back home.

As my friend Lee S. Wolosky, a former National Security Council deputy who led the effort against Bout for the Clinton and Bush administrations, told the Los Angeles Times,
Bout “really needs to come into U.S. custody quickly. Otherwise, there’s ample opportunity for others to mess around.”

From a South African newspaper. If Bout ever writes a biography, I'd buy it.


'Merchant of Death's' secret SA connections


And now, you might say that other arms dealers will take his place? Yes and no. They're not Viktor Bout. They don't have his fleet of aircrafts, and they don't have the same "power" as Bout. Imagine Bout's connections! At the age of 41, he's probably met with more powerful people than most of the world's stateleaders! And not only met with them, but done business with them. Sese Seko's son once said that he was glad that his family was rescued by "a Russian plane" (with bullets flying around their ears during take-off). He said if it had been a Boeing, it would have exploded...

Thailand keeps Bout in Custody

Bout may be held in custody for up to 84 days without being formally charged.


Thai Court Keeps Arms Dealer in Custody


Maybe he'll write a book while in jail?

Viktor Bout wants to be freed on bail

Viktor Bout says he's innocent and he wants to be freed on bail. "Well-trained men" will be watching him around the clock. He doesn't look too worried about it...



Photo: AP Photo/David Longstreath


Russian Arms Dealer Claims Innocence

This is quite extraordinar --for Thailand at least-- not all the money (I suspect a good deal of 'em) can get him free on bail.

Arms Dealer Bout Denied Bail in Thailand


However it has this important piece of info.

In 2006, U.S. President George W. Bush froze Bout's assets in various countries. Those assets, mainly small airlines, were estimated to be worth $6 billion by his business partner Andrey Smulyan. That year, a plane belonging to Bout and registered in Kyrgyzstan was photographed by the Associated Press in the rebel-control airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, carrying a load of hand-launch missiles.

Smulyan was arrested in Bangkok along with Bout, but later released. He is listed in U.S. documents as the contact through whom U.S. agents posing as FARC representatives set up a meeting. Smulyan's current whereabouts are unknown.

I guess this Smulyan's cover is blown by now ...if it not already was. I don't have the heart to go through all the pages, but have this guy been mentioned before?

reply to post by khunmoon


Interesting. He was freed? He is mentioned briefly in an article I quoted from in this post. It said he was arrested together with Bout, but "escaped and is still at large".


...And from the DEA press release posted here:

Smulian spoke to Bout over a cellphone provided to him by one of the CSs at the direction of the DEA.

Hmmmm. The DEA gave Smulian a cellphone in which he spoke with Bout? I guess the only explaination is that Smulian was working undercover for the DEA.

Here isan interesting piece about the airfleet of Bout. Identifiable machines, their history, where they came from and where they went.

So Why Was Viktor Bout in Thailand?

So why was Viktor in Thailand? Well, there are some possible explanations beyond the CTB theory that it was something to do with the Burmese junta, or the Chinese, or someone.

Specifically, there are reasons to think that South-East Asia might have been the next stop in the VB caravan, after Ostend, South Africa, and the UAE. Consider Imtrec Aviation; a regular on the various war routes out of Sharjah, they’re based (officially) in Cambodia but the aircraft, as ever, are based in Sharjah. Antonov-12 serial no. 1347907, for example, went from Aeroflot back in the days of respectability, via East Line or Avial and a spell on lease to the World Food Programme, to Aerocom, the Moldovan-flagged operation that was shut down after one of its planes was seized for smuggling coc aine through Belize, that shared aircraft with Jet Line International, Asterias Commercial, and ATI, and that was at the heart of the missing Bosnian guns case.

reply to post by khunmoon


That article was written by Alex Harrowell ("The Yorkshire Ranter"). His original post in his blog can be found here:

TYR: So Why Was Viktor Bout in Thailand?


Alternate site here:
So Why Was Viktor Bout in Thailand?

Well, I just opened a 7-day free trial account w. einnews.com. It's like picking candy, ordered by subject and country.

Can't help to bring this one on Thailand as safe heaven for all kind of criminals.

Arms dealer’s arrest exposes Thailand as fugitive haven

Thai police say the rising number of arrests and deportations proves they are making progress in fighting international crime.

Immigration officials say 329 people were deported in 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available, up from 207 in 2002.
But experts say criminals will continue to be drawn to Thailand and other developing countries in Southeast Asia because of lax law enforcement.
“It’s rooted very deeply in the issue of official corruption that allows not just arms dealers, but paedophiles and other people fleeing their own countries, to use Thailand and other developing countries as a safe haven,” said Sunai Phasuk, a researcher with Human Rights Watch.
“Someone like this Russian guy or terrorists or extremists benefit from loopholes in immigration law.”

Fugitives are supported in Thailand by a well-developed network of forgers who can provide fake travel documents, he noted. – AFP

With not even Victor Bout able to buy security things HAVE changed in Thailand.

Smulian appears in US court, Manhattan, New York!


TurkishPress.com: Co-defendant of Russian arms trafficker appears in US court


"Arrested"... yeah, right...

On February 28 2008, Belgium issued an international arrest warrant on Bout for supplying arms to terrorist organizations including Al Qaeda...


RIA Novosti: Lord of War

reply to post by Hellmutt

they had 100 surface to air missiles ready, plus helicopters and armour piercing rockets. He could drop them into Columbia by parachute.

I wonder if there might have been something else than "just" helicopters and missiles involved? Bout was arrested when the DEA were posing as FARC people. Remember the FARC leader who got killed in Equador recently, causing Venezuela to send tanks to the Colombian border? This FARC leader was apparently in Romania in January, meeting with Mogilevich's people seeking to buy uranium, to be able to make a dirty bomb. I bet Bout would've been involved with transporting this stuff to Colombia after such deal.

Smulian, gets "released" and then shows up in the hands of the American government, in NY no less!?!?! This story just gets juicier and juicer!!

I am absolutely thrilled at how this is turning out and am watching this thread more intensely than the Champions League matches. I'm with you Hellmutt, I'm anxiously awaiting the day that this story is told in book form and would love to hear it told straight from the proverbial horse's mouth.

I seriously can't think of another story that has intrigued me quite like this one. Thank you very, very much Hellmutt for the plethora of links and sources you have provided here. You've been doing an absolutely stellar job keeping up on this. Kudos!

On a side note; I find the FARC connection to be one of the most interesting aspects to this story. Hugo Chavez has been shaking things up pretty badly in South America and while the media may be concentrating on the war on terror I think they are missing the fact that US intelligence agencies are spending a great deal of effort and assets in that region. This story and the recent killing of two of FARC's top leaders, Luis Edgar Devia Silva (aka: Raul Reyes) and Manuel de Jesus Munoz (aka: Ivan Rios) seem, to me, to be evidence of that.

Thanks again Hellmutt,

-Cypher