2022: Where Is Viktor Bout aka Merchant Of Death Now?
He is a well-known Russian arms dealer who goes by the moniker “Merchant of Death” and is currently serving a 25-year federal jail term for attempting to sell weapons to groups that had allegedly planned to kill Americans According to a New York Times investigation.
The former Soviet officer exclaimed “it’s a lie” during the sentence when the prosecution said he had agreed to sell weapons to kill the people of America.
The 45-year-old was found guilty in November of trying to supply a Colombian rebel organization with heavy weapons. After a sting operation in which US operatives pretended to be Colombian rebels, he was captured in Bangkok in 2008.
In 2008, officers from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a Colombian rebel group that the United States has labelled as a terrorist organization, captured Bout in Thailand.
Why Does Russia Want Him In Exchange For Brittney Griner?
Brittney Griner, a WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold winner, has recently been mentioned as a potential exchange partner for Victor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer dubbed the “Merchant of Death,” in a prisoner swap with the United States.
Bout, a 55-year-old former Soviet military officer, recently captured a 25-year federal prison sentence. Griner, a native of Houston, was detained in Russia in February at an airport in the Moscow region when officials claimed discovered cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage.
If found guilty, the 31-year-old basketball player may spend up to 10 years behind bars. The American State Department designated Griner as having been “wrongfully detained” in May.
The Times reported that Bout’s case and Griner’s had recently been connected in Russian media. Russian state-owned news agency Tass claimed last month that negotiations between the two countries had started over a prospective prisoner exchange including the well-known individuals.
The Times said that Bout’s attorney in New York, Steve Zissou, had recently met with Anatoly. Likewise, he is Russia’s ambassador to the United States.
According to Zissou, the ambassador said Russian officials considered Bout’s release to be a top priority. In a statement to the Times, Zissou said, “It has been very clearly expressed to the American side that they’re going to have to get real on Viktor Bout if they expect any additional prisoner exchanges.” No American will leave the country unless Viktor Bout travels with them, in my opinion.
Viktor Bout Wife Regarding The Case
On the first day of the trial, Bout’s wife and daughter were present in the courtroom along with representatives from the Russian embassy in New York.
Alla, Bout’s wife, has said that American authorities are unfairly persecuting her husband and that she does not think he will be given a fair trial.
In a rare step, presiding Judge Shira Scheindlin stated that she would ask potential jurors to sign a written declaration promising not to research Bout online or elsewhere in order to guarantee an impartial jury.