Arms Dealer Accused of Selling Surface-to-Air Missiles To FARC
MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and MICHELE M. LEONHART, the Acting
Administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), announced today the unsealing of charges
against VIKTOR BOUT, a/k/a "Boris," a/k/a "Victor Anatoliyevich Bout," a/k/a "Victor But," a/k/a "Viktor Budd," a/k/a
"Viktor Butt," a/k/a "Viktor Bulakin," a/k/a "Vadim Markovich Aminov," an international arms dealer, and his associate
ANDREW SMULIAN for conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de
Colombia (the "FARC") -- a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia. BOUT was arrested yesterday by
Thai authorities in Bangkok. According to the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
Between November 2007 and February 2008, BOUT and SMULIAN agreed to sell to the FARC millions of dollars worth of
weapons -- including surface-to-air missile systems ("SAMs") and armor piercing rocket launchers. During a series of
recorded telephone calls and emails, BOUT and SMULIAN agreed to sell the weapons to two confidential sources working
with the DEA (the "CSs"), who held themselves out as FARC representatives acquiring these weapons for the FARC for use
in Colombia.
In addition, during a series of consensually recorded meetings in Romania, SMULIAN advised the CSs, among other things,
that: (1) BOUT had 100 SAMs available immediately; (2) BOUT could also provide helicopters and armor piercing rocket
launchers; (3) BOUT could arrange to have a flight crew airdrop the weapons into Colombian territory using combat
parachutes; and (4) BOUT and SMULIAN would charge the CSs $5 million to transport the weapons. During one of the
meetings with the CSs, SMULIAN provided one of the CSs with a digital memory stick that contained an article about BOUT,
and documents containing photographs and specifications for the SAMs and armor piercing rocket launchers that SMULIAN
had previously said BOUT could provide.
In between his meetings with the CSs, SMULIAN spoke to BOUT over a cellphone provided to him by one of the CSs at the
direction of the DEA. These conversations between SMULIAN and BOUT were legally intercepted by foreign authorities.
During one of these conversations, BOUT and SMULIAN discussed the $5 million delivery fee for the weapons. BOUT also
told SMULIAN, in coded language, that the weapons requested by the CSs were ready to be delivered. Subsequent to these
phone calls with SMULIAN, BOUT engaged in multiple recorded phone calls with one of the CSs during which they arranged
the March 6, 2008 meeting in Bangkok. BOUT and SMULIAN are charged with conspiracy to provide material support or
resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of
15 years' imprisonment.
The U.S. plans to pursue the extradition of BOUT from Thailand.
The arrest of BOUT yesterday was the result of close cooperation between the Royal Thai Police and the DEA. Also
cooperating in this international enforcement operation were the Romanian Border Police, the Romanian Prosecutor's
Office Attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Korps Politie Curacao of the Netherlands Antilles, and
the Danish National Police Security Services.
Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative work of the DEA and thanked the Royal Thai Police for their assistance. Mr. GARCIA
also thanked the Romanian Border Police, the Romanian Prosecutor's Office Attached to the High Court of Cassation and
Justice, the Korps Politie Curacao of the Netherlands Antilles, and the Danish National Police Security Services, for
their cooperation, and thanked the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs.
"Viktor Bout and Andrew Smulian agreed to arm terrorists with high-powered weapons that have fueled some of the most
violent conflicts in recent memory," said U.S. Attorney MICHAEL J. GARCIA. "Today, they face charges in the United
States for agreeing to provide weapons to a terrorist organization that has threatened, and continues to threaten,
American interests."
"DEA and our partners now have this terrorist supporter in custody where he can no longer ply his deadly trade," said
DEA Acting Administrator MICHELE M. LEONHART. "This arms trafficker was poised to arm a narco-terrorist organization,
but he now faces justice in the United States."
Assistant United States Attorneys ANJAN SAHNI and BRENDAN R. McGUIRE are in charge of the prosecutions. The charges
contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven
guilty.
ENDS