Viktor Bout Net Worth: Former Soviet military commander Viktor Bout rose to international prominence as one of the world’s most prolific arms traffickers. He earned enormous money through his criminal dealings over the course of a turbulent career spanning several decades.
We’ll look at Viktor Bout’s net worth, biography, work, social media presence, and other interesting parts of his life in this post.
What is Viktor Bout Net Worth?
Viktor Bout, a well-known worldwide arms dealer with a $50 million net worth, is a prolific and profitable arms dealer. Viktor Bout is accused of smuggling weapons worth billions of dollars from Eastern Europe through his several air transport companies over the years, mostly in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 2008, he was arrested in Thailand on terrorism allegations. He was convicted in 2011 of plotting to kill US citizens and authorities in the United States. Bout received a 25-year prison sentence.
Viktor was represented by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 film “Lord of War.” Viktor was repatriated to Russia in a prisoner swap for WNBA player Brittney Greiner on December 8, 2022.
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Viktor Bout Early Life
Viktor Bout was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on January 13, 1967, in what was then the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR. There are few more details regarding his origins or childhood known, and even his birth date is uncertain.
Viktor Bout Military Service
Bout holds a degree from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages. He was a member of the Soviet Armed Forces. Bout learned not only Russian but also Portuguese, Persian Arabic, English, and French during his training.
Bout, a polyglot, is said to have worked as a translator for the Soviet Army. Bout was reportedly discharged following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Viktor Bout Career Beginnings
Depending on the source, Bout held several posts after leaving the service. According to his own website, he founded Air Cess, an air freight company based in Angola. The company provides services to the United States, France, and the United Nations. Bout provided cargo to Afghanistan’s pre-Taliban administration in 1994. According to other versions, Bout also served as a GRU major, a KGB operative, and a Soviet Air Forces officer.
Viktor Bout Arms Trafficking
Between 1996 and 1998, Bout allegedly trafficked a variety of weaponry from Bulgaria to Africa, presumably for use by UNITA in the Angolan Civil War. Meanwhile, in Liberia, he was accused of supplying weaponry to warlord Charles Taylor during the country’s first civil war. During the Yugoslav Wars, Bout was also implicated in arms trafficking.
Bout and his colleague Richard Chichakli formed an aviation firm in Tajikistan in 2004 to conduct money laundering operations. During this time, he is accused of supplying guns to a variety of African groups and of sending surface-to-air missiles to Kenya for use in an attack on an Israeli aircraft.
Bout was said to have a significant commercial involvement in Libya, among other things. However, because he was continually on the move, running several businesses and frequently re-registering his aircraft, authorities were never able to build a solid case against him for African arms smuggling.
Viktor Bout Arrest and Extradition
Bout was charged with forgery in the Central African Republic in 2000 and convicted in absentia; the accusations were eventually dismissed. Bout was issued an Interpol red notice for money laundering two years later by Belgian authorities.
However, the lawsuit was eventually dismissed due to Bout’s lack of a regular residence and the inability to prosecute the matter in a timely manner. Bout’s assets in the United States were blocked by an Executive Order in the summer of 2004.
But was the focus of a Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation in early 2008. He was later apprehended in Bangkok, Thailand, on the basis of an Interpol red alert issued by the US. Later that year, an extradition hearing was held in Bangkok.
The Bangkok Criminal Court found in favor of Bout in August 2009; but, an appeal by the US the following year overturned the ruling. Bout was thus extradited to the United States in late 2010. The Russian government reacted angrily, claiming that the extradition was politically motivated and illegitimate. The Russian government retaliated by sanctioning everyone implicated in the extradition.
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