Viktor Bout’s net worth

Viktor bout is a Russian arms dealer who has an estimated net worth of $20 million. He is best known for supplying weapons to various rebel groups and dictatorships around the world. Bout was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and began his career as a translator for the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. He later started his own air cargo company, which he used to transport arms and other military equipment to various clients around the world. In 2010, he was arrested by U.S. authorities on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. He is currently awaiting trial in a U.S. prison.

Viktor bout net worth is an intriguing subject. How much is this Russian arms dealer worth? We took a look at his assets and income to find out. read on to see our findings!

It is no secret that Viktor Bout has become one of the most notorious figures in international trade. His worldwide operations have managed to defy borders and draw attention from governments, law enforcement agencies and news outlets alike. However, do you know how much net worth this businessman accumulates? In this blog post, we dive into Viktor Bout’s wealth and lifestyle, breaking down key points including his source of income and estimated net worth. Read on to learn more about Viktor Bout’s remarkable success story!

Viktor Bout’s Net Worth

Viktor Bout is a prolific international arms dealer who has a net worth of $50 million. Over the course of several decades, primarily the 1980s and 1990s, Viktor Bout allegedly used his numerous air transport companies to smuggle potentially billions of dollars worth of weapons from Eastern Europe to the Middle East and Africa following the fall of the Soviet Union.

Military Service

Bout graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages and served in the Soviet Armed Forces. Through his training, he became fluent in

Portuguese, Persian, Arabic, English, and French in addition to Russian. Bout reportedly served as a translator for the Soviet Army due to his polyglot status. He was allegedly discharged in 1991 upon the collapse of the USSR.

Early Life;

Viktor Bout was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 1967. Prior to achieving international notoriety as an arms dealer and merchant of death, he had a relatively unremarkable early life. Starting his adult career late in the 1980s as an air force officer in the Soviet military, Bout went on to become a successful business entrepreneur early in the 90s with interests spanning logistics, transport, and airline sectors. Unfortunately, it was this experience that also set him up for future conflict with the law when he first tasted success by skirting arms embargoes and gaining prominence as one of the world’s most notorious illegal arms traders.

Career Beginnings

Depending on the source, Bout had different positions following his discharge from the army. According to his personal website, he launched an air freight business called Air Cess that operated out of Angola. The business provided services to the US, France, and the United Nations. In 1994, Bout sent shipments to the pre-Taliban government of Afghanistan. According to other sources, Bout also spent time as a GRU major, a KGB operative, or an officer in the Soviet Air Forces.

Arrest and Extradition

Charged in the Central African Republic in 2000 for forging documents, Bout was convicted in absentia; the charges were eventually dropped. Two years later, Belgian authorities issued an Interpol red notice on Bout on charges of money laundering. However, the case was ultimately dismissed due to Bout’s lack of a fixed residence and the fact that the case couldn’t be prosecuted in a timely manner. In the summer of 2004, Bout’s assets in the US were frozen under an Executive Order.

In early 2008, Bout was targeted by a sting operation organized by the Drug Enforcement Administration. He was subsequently arrested in Bangkok,

Thailand on an Interpol red notice issued by the US. Later in the year, an extradition hearing took place in Bangkok. In August of 2009, the Bangkok Criminal Court ruled in favor of Bout; however, an appeal by the US the following year reversed the decision. As a result, Bout was extradited to the US in late 2010. This caused an uproar from the Russian government, which claimed the extradition was politically motivated and illegal. The Russian government responded by imposing sanctions on anyone involved in the extradition.

In the Media

Bout has influenced or been the subject of a number of media properties. In 2005, he was the focus of the third chapter of Nick Kochan’s book “The Washing Machine.” The same year, Bout served as the inspiration for the crime film “Lord of War,” starring as an international arms trafficker. Bout has also been the subject of the 2014 documentary “The Notorious Mr. Bout” and episodes of the documentary series “Manhunt: Kill or Capture” and “Damian Lewis: Spy Wars.”

FAQS;

How much is victor Bout Worth?

Bout was estimated to be worth about $6 billion in March 2008 when he was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.

How was Viktor Bout caught?

Bout was caught and arrested in 2008 after an elaborate sting operation that was enacted when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration tracked his travels across several countries to a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. There, undercover U.S. agents posed as representatives of Colombia’s leftist FARC guerrillas.

Conclusion;

Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer dubbed “the Merchant of Death,” has an estimated net worth of $6 billion. That’s according to a new report by American intelligence firm Stratfor. The report, titled “The Age of Putin: Upheaval and Implications for U.S. Policy,” says that Bout “is believed to have amassed a personal fortune in excess of $6 billion through his illicit arms trade.”  So there you have it.  What do you make of this? Sound off in the comment section below.

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