© Russian Federal Security Service/TASS

 

Has the “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout, been defanged?

Newsweek contacted me last week for comment on whether Viktor Bout, who was traded for basketball player and minor drug offender Brittney Grinder could go back into the arms business.

Bout built his arms trade around his cargo airline, Air Cess, which changed its name to Air Bas in 2001 and operated out of the United Arab Emirates. It is now defunct its planes sold off or seized. Bout ran about  37 different air cargo companies that were either owned by him or suspected of being tied to him.  He would operate his aircraft under various company names and change their registration numbers to make their movements harder to track internationally.