Russian arms dealer escapes extradition to US
An arms dealer arrested by U.S. agents in a 2008 sting operation at a Bangkok hotel could go free this week after a Thai judge’s unexpected decision Tuesday to reject an American request for extradition. Viktor Bout, 42 was caught in a sting operation by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officers posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a guerrilla group known as FARC.
The US officials alleged Mr Bout’s agreement to sell arms to FARC was tantamount to an act of terrorism, as the weapons would be used by the rebels to kill US citizens and destroy US property in Columbia.
The DEA maintains that Bout agreed to supply ground-to-air missiles that could have been used to target the agency’s operatives, who are assisting in the Colombian government’s attempts to wipe out the country’s cocaine crops.
Bout is a former member of the Soviet air force. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, he used his contacts and the huge surplus of aircraft and crew members to start an air transport company. His detractors allege that he also became one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers, sending weapons to fighters in conflicts across Africa and the Middle East.
The court yesterday dismissed US claims that FARC would use the weapons to kill US citizens and destroy its property due to a lack of evidence.