In the 1990's, Victor Bout was a target of US intelligence, which wanted to end his role in illegal arms traffic worldwide. But even after public revelations about his notorious activities, Bout became a weapons contractor for the Pentagon. In 2004, four of Bout's planes were supposed to ship 99 tons of AK-47's and other weapons from Bosnia to Iraq. There's no record they ever got there. Stephen Braun of the Los Angeles Times is co-author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible.
KCRW
