Lord Of War Behind Evil Trade In Ore

Jul 6 2008

A FORMER KGB major nicknamed the Merchant of Death has been at the centre of the global coltan business.

Arms trader Viktor Bout is accused of making millions by taking coltan out of the Democratic Republic of Congo on a fleet of ex-Soviet transport planes.

The businessman, who is blamed for bringing thousands of guns into unstable African states, has worked with Russia, America, Britain and the Taliban.

He speaks six languages and is widely believed to have been the model for the arms dealer played by Nicolas Cage in 2005 film Lord Of War.

Bout has also been accused of selling weapons from Eastern Europe to 17 African countries, al-Qaeda, Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, the Taliban, Hezbollah, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the Philippines' Abu Sayyaf militant group.

He has been held in Bangkok since March on an international drugs warrant.

He was arrested in a sting operation initiated by the US Drug Enforcement Administration a few hours after he arrived in Thailand.

The agency says he came to the country to negotiate the sale of surface-to-air missiles to two undercover agents posing as officers from a Colombian rebel group.

But Bout said: "I am innocent. I used to admire Americans but today I despise them and so does the entire world.

"They think they can do whatever they want anywhere."