Zimbabwe
Cost of Zimbabwe Gun Licence Rises to $50 Billion, Renewal $25 Billion
Herald (Harare)
1 July 2008
Police have, with immediate effect, increased charges for obtaining firearms and clearance certificates. Police spokesperson Superintendent Andrew Phiri yesterday said the increases were with effect from today. The cost of issuing a firearms certificate has been raised from $50 million to $50 billion while an import permit now costs $250 billion, up from $250 million. Renewing a firearm certificate now costs $25... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Army's $300m Ammo Deal 'Case Study' in Botched Military Contracting
New York Times
25 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- When the Army last year awarded a contract worth up to nearly $300 million to a tiny Miami Beach munitions dealer to supply ammunition to Afghanistan's security forces, it overlooked a very checkered past. A Congressional committee revealed Tuesday that by the time the Army awarded the bid, State and Defense Department officials had canceled or delayed at least six earlier contracts with the company, AEY Inc., for... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Albania, Afghanistan
US Ambassador to Albania Targeted in Illegal Afghan Ammunition Probe
Reuters
24 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The State Department said on Tuesday it would review the conduct of the U.S. ambassador to Albania, after a congressman alleged the envoy knew about a case in which Chinese-made ammunition was falsely relabeled as manufactured in Albania and shipped to the Afghan army. In a hearing on Tuesday and a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the previous day, Henry Waxman, chairman of the House of Representatives... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Miami Gun Dealer Charged with Selling Chinese Ammo to Pentagon
New York Times
21 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The 22-year-old president of a Miami Beach arms-dealing company and three other people were charged Friday with selling prohibited Chinese ammunition to the Pentagon to supply Afghan security forces, federal officials said. A federal grand jury in Miami indicted the munitions dealer, Efraim E. Diveroli, president of AEY Inc., as well as two former employees and a business associate, on charges of fraud and conspiring... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Global Gun Trade Treaty Needed to Curb the Spread of Weapons
Statesman (Kolkata), Opinion
12 June 2008
The campaign to reduce small arms and to eliminate the use of landmines and cluster bombs can save millions of lives. In addition, animals and birds can also be protected. Although attention is generally focussed on heavy weapons, greater destruction is caused by "small arms and light weapons", a technical term (generally abbreviated to 'small arms') which covers revolvers, pistols, rifles, carbines, machine-guns, ammunition, shells,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Southern Africa
Gun Control Groups Urge Zambian PM to Cut Weapon Flow to Zimbabwe
Daily Mail (Zambia )
6 June 2008
The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) has petitioned President Mwanawasa to immediately put in place a moratorium on the transfer of weapons to Zimbabwe because they can be used against the people. And Centre for Policy Dialogue executive director, Neo Simutanyi, has warned that violence in Zimbabwe could escalate to levels worse than what happened in Kenya if the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
Southern African Nations Plan Moratorium on Gun Trade to Zimbabwe
South African Press Association
6 June 2008
Civil bodies yesterday urged the Southern African Development Community governments to impose a moratorium on the supply of arms to Zimbabwe. At a briefing in Johannesburg, Obby Chibuluma of the Coalition for Peace in Africa said: "We are asking for the moratorium on Zimbabwe to make sure security is guaranteed before and after the June 27 runoff elections." More than 110000 people globally had signed a petition on the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
Global Gun Control Group, African NGOs Urge Arms Freeze on Zimbabwe
Reuters
5 June 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- A coalition of African-based civil society organisations urged southern African countries on Thursday to freeze arms shipments to Zimbabwe to avoid plunging the country into deeper political violence. Led by the International Action Network on Small Arms, the organisations said politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe was escalating ahead of a June 27 presidential run-off and any transfer of arms and military equipment... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia, Southern Africa
Southern Africa: 110,000 Sign Petition to Ban Gun Transfers to Zimbabwe
Namibian (Windhoek)
5 June 2008
Civil society in Namibia will today hand over a global petition of 110 000 signatures, which demands an immediate Southern African Development Community (SADC) moratorium on weapons transfers to Zimbabwe. The petition will be presented by representatives of the Legal Assistance Centre, the National Society for Human Rights, Breaking the Wall of Silence, International Action Network on Small Arms (Iansa) and Gun Free Namibia at 13h30.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia, Iraq
Serbia Begins Exporting Another 18,000 Handguns to Iraqi Security Forces
B92 Radio (Belgrade)
2 June 2008
KRAGUJEVAC, Serbia -- The first consignment of CZ 99 handguns destined for the Iraq market will be shipped out of the Zastava factory three weeks ahead of schedule. Even though the first shipment was first planned for July, according to CEO Rade Gromovic, the weapons are ready and the permits necessary for exporting them have been secured, so the date has been shifted to June 11. This will mark the official beginning of... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
Global Gun Trade Treaty Next Step in Campaign to Curb Lethal Weapons
Scotsman (Edinburgh), Opinion
30 May 2008
The decision this week for a global treaty to ban cluster munitions in Dublin is a significant step towards reducing indiscriminate civilian deaths and making our world a safer place. But the world needs to do much more if we genuinely seek to stop civilians dying from weapons designed for war. This is because there is still a type of weaponry in the arsenals of every government on earth that continues to kill and maim... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Illegal Gun Makers in Phillipines Now Want to Export Hand-made Firearms
Philippine Sun Star (Cebu) / DME
29 May 2008
A Congressman has recognized the potential of the firearms industry in Danao City to cater to the international market. Rep. Roilo Golez (Para-ñaque), in an interview with news reporters yesterday, said he also believes that legalizing gun manufacturing in Danao will deter the presence of illegal manufacturers. "The firearms (manufactured) in Danao City can substitute the imported ones," he said. He also said... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe, United States, United Nations
NATO Hosts Conference on Global Threat Posed by Proliferation of Guns
Xinhua
29 May 2008
BRUSSELS -- A three-day international conference opened at the NATO headquarters on Wednesday to address the global threat posed by the proliferation, illicit trade and use of small arms and light weapons (SALW). The meeting, co-sponsored by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council countries and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, focuses on strengthening the role of regional organizations in addressing the threat.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe, United States, United Nations
Europe Hosts OSCE / NATO Forum on Global Threat of Illicit Firearms
United Press International
28 May 2008
BRUSSELS -- A forum being held in Brussels is designed to promote greater cooperation on deterring the global threat posed by the illicit small arms and weapons trade. The three-day conference, which began Wednesday, has brought together security experts from around the world to discuss how to coordinate and harmonize a response to the small arms and light weapons threat. The Synergy Conference for Regional Organizations... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Car Full of 'Accidental' Guns, Ammunition Lands US Soldier in Mexican Jail
Associated Press
9 May 2008
EL PASO, Texas -- When he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, Spc. Richard Torres was carrying a small arsenal in his car: an AR-15 assault rifle, a .45-caliber handgun, 171 rounds of ammunition, several cartridges and three knives. At a checkpoint, Torres didn't try to hide the weapons. But he insisted he hadn't meant to cross the border with the guns, which in Mexico are restricted for use only by the military. While searching for... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
China-Zimbabwe Gun Scandal Shows Need for World Treaty: Desmond Tutu
Australian (Sydney), Opinion
9 May 2008
In the present scandal of the attempt to ship tonnes of arms and ammunition to Zimbabwe, it is the Chinese who have spoken the most sense. China's foreign ministry said the country's shipment of mortar shells, rockets and bullets was perfectly normal trade. It certainly is. Shipping arms to African governments who could use them to abuse their own people is an abhorrent but almost daily occurrence. And at present there is nothing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Ban Ki-moon Gives First Report on Global Gun Trade to UN Security Council
Associated Press of Pakistan
1 May 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The uncontrolled trade in small arms and their excessive accumulation and proliferation poses a threat to international peace and security, a senior UN told the Security Council Wednesday. "We have all witnessed how these weapons have been used to maim and kill; plunder and rape; instil fear and insecurity; block humanitarian aid; hold communities at ransom; destroy the social fabric of entire countries; and how... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
UN Security Council Holds Open Debate on Threat of Global Gun Trade
Xinhua
1 May 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council held on Wednesday an open debate on the threat posed by the illicit flow of small arms to international peace and security. During the meeting, Hannelore Hoppe, deputy to the high representative for disarmament affairs, presented UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's first-ever report on small arms. In the report, the UN chief said that, while a build-up of small arms alone may not... ( gunpolicy.org )
Senegal
Senegal Ratifies United Nations Convention to Curb Illicit Gun Trade
Afrique en ligne / Panapress
29 April 2008
DAKAR, Senegal --- Senegal has ratified the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), their ammunitions and other related materials. According to a communiqué of the Movement Against Small Arms in West Africa (MAL AO) obtained by PANA, Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade, by passing the Act, had shown his country's commitment to fight the illegal circulation of small arms. Senegal thus becomes the fifth... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China
Arms Cargo to Zimbabwe Exposes Mugabe's Link to Chinese Gun Maker
Sunday Times (UK)
28 April 2008
The boycott of a Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe has cast new light on the connections between the African country's president, Robert Mugabe, and a secretive Chinese arms-trading firm with a controversial track record from the Congo to Darfur. The ship steamed towards China last week after dock workers in Durban refused to unload it and a South African court blocked the transit of its cargo of mortar and small arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, Albania
Inferior Ammunition to Afghanistan Leads US Army to Review Arms Policy
New York Times
27 April 2008
MOSCOW -- The United States Army has begun a broad review of procedures used to supply security forces in Afghanistan and Iraq with foreign arms, prompted by an allegation of fraud and questions about the competence of the main private supplier of ammunition to Afghanistan. The company, AEY Inc. of Miami Beach, was suspended last month after Army investigators accused it of shipping aged Chinese rifle cartridges and claiming they... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China
Beijing Recalls Zimbabwe Arms Cargo: Speculation on Gun Airlift to Mugabe
Associated Press
25 April 2008
BEIJING -- A shipment of Chinese weapons headed for troubled Zimbabwe will be returned to China because there is no way to deliver it to the landlocked country in southern Africa, China said Thursday. Countries neighboring Zimbabwe refused to allow the Chinese freighter An Yue Jiang to dock at their ports. That followed heavy pressure from African unions, churches and human rights groups, bolstered by behind-the-scenes pressure... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, Zambia, United Kingdom, Canada, China, World
Chinese Gun Shipment to Zimbabwe Shines Spotlight on Global Gun Trade
Toronto Star (Ontario)
24 April 2008
When the Chinese freighter An Yue Jiang pulled into the South African port of Durban last week loaded with weapons bound for crisis-ridden Zimbabwe, it seemed to be just one more day in the lucrative arms trade that has engulfed the continent with deadly results. Instead the ship ran into a storm of protest -- with dock workers joining union leaders, church officials and the High Court to block the shipment -- until the vessel left... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, China
Praise 3 African Nations for Barring 'Ship of Shame' Gun Cargo to Zimbabwe
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
24 April 2008
It's a rare moment when three African nations, in an effort to forestall violence, block a shipment of weapons to a neighboring country in political turmoil. It's perhaps even a historic development when those weapons were sold by a great power and were bound for a government that is not under United Nations sanctions and has every legal right to buy arms -- though no moral right to do so. So let us praise the courageous peoples of South... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, Europe
Canada Lifts Restrictions, Will Sell Assault Rifles to East European Nations
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
23 April 2008
OTTAWA -- The Harper government is lifting restrictions on exports of automatic firearms to 11 countries, most of which are relative newcomers to NATO, a move that should be a boon for Canadian arms makers and signals greater trust in Ottawa's smaller European allies. This move expands by 50 per cent the number of countries to which defence firms can sell automatic firearms. Currently, the Automatic Firearms Country Control List... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, China
Cargo of Chinese Guns, Ammunition Visits Namibia on Way to Zimbabwe
Namibian (Windhoek)
22 April 2008
A Chinese ship carrying six containers of ammunition for Zimbabwe has applied to take on fuel at Walvis Bay this morning. The An Yue Jiang is carrying three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 1 500 rocket-propelled grenades and more than 3 000 mortar rounds and mortar tubes. Attempts to get comment from Government yesterday were unsuccessful. Messages were left for Minister of Information, Joel Kaapanda, but he... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, United States, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
China Says Ship Carrying Ammunition, Guns to Zimbabwe May Head Home
Associated Press
22 April 2008
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- A shipment of weapons to Zimbabwe may be returned to China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, after the troubled southern African nation's neighbors prevented the cargo from being unloaded. The Chinese freighter arrived in South Africa last week, and human rights groups and others said they feared the mortar grenades and bullets onboard could be used by President Robert Mugabe's regime to clamp down... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Zambia
Chinese Ammunition 'Ship of Shame' Adrift in Southern African Controversy
IRIN (UN News)
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- There were conflicting reports about the whereabouts of a Chinese ship, laden with a cargo of small arms destined for Zimbabwe, after it was turned away from South Africa's port city of Durban. According to some reports, the 150-metre multipurpose cargo vessel, the An Yue Jiang - registered in China and one of 600 vessels owned by the China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), dubbed by South African media as the "Ship... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, China
Global Gun Control Campaign Protests Chinese Arms Shipment to Zimbabwe
New Era (Windhoek)
22 April 2008
WINDHOEK -- The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) yesterday called on all Namibians to raise their voices in protest against the docking of the Chinese ship, An Jue Jiang, at a Namibian harbour. The ship is carrying arms bound for Zimbabwe, including three million rounds of ammunition and desperately trying to find a way to deliver the cargo to that country. After the International Action Network on Small Arms, IANSA, a global... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, United States, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
Gun Cargo Rejection 'Dramatic Turn' for Africa's Embrace of Zimbabwe
Washington Post
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- A Chinese ship carrying weapons and ammunition for Zimbabwe's military may be headed back home, reports said, after repeated attempts to deliver its cargo were frustrated by a coalition of legal activists, union workers and human rights groups. The region's resistance to the shipment, which drew praise from the United States on Tuesday, marks a dramatic turn from southern Africa's traditional embrace of Zimbabwe's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, China
Southern African Ports Shun Ship Carrying Guns to Zimbabwe; US Agrees
Los Angeles Times / Chicago Tribune
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Public outcries have forced a rusty Chinese cargo ship to avoid South Africa, Mozambique and Angola, leaving it at sea Tuesday with 77 tons of munitions bound for Zimbabwe, where an election crisis has reportedly turned violent. The An Yue Jiang was carrying about 3 million rounds of Chinese ammunition, 1,500 rockets and 3,000 mortar shells. The State Department's top Africa envoy, who is to arrive... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, China
Under African Pressure, China Recalls Cargo of Zimbabwe Guns, Ammo?
SW Radio Africa (London)
22 April 2008
A controversial arms shipment from China, meant for crisis torn Zimbabwe, might have been recalled back to China following pressure from African countries that refused to allow it to dock at their ports. On Tuesday the China Ocean Shipping Company, owners of the An Yue Jiang ship, announced their vessel was coming back home. Despite Chinese claims that the delivery was 'normal military product trade,' Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, South Africa, China
US Seeks to Block Zimbabwe-bound Chinese Ammunition, Gun Shipment
Associated Press
22 April 2008
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is intervening with governments in southern Africa to prevent a Chinese ship carrying weapons for Zimbabwe's security forces from unloading its cargo, The Associated Press has learned. At the same time, the State Department's top Africa hand, Jendayi Frazer, plans to visit the region this week to underscore U.S. concerns about the shipment. Frazer also will try to persuade Zimbabwe's neighbors... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
Zimbabwe Bristles at Southern Africa's Rejection of Guns, Ammo Cargo
News24 (Cape Town)
22 April 2008
HARARE -- Zimbabwe bristled at criticism for buying arms from China on Tuesday, as pressure mounted on its neighbours to keep a load of weapons from reaching their destination. China said a Chinese ship carrying the shipment might return home without offloading its cargo. The ship arrived in South Africa last week carrying Chinese weapons for landlocked Zimbabwe. South African human rights, union and others groups objected,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, China
Campaign Against Zimbabwe Ammunition, Gun Shipment Gains Momentum
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) / SAPA
21 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A campaign to prevent arms currently aboard a Chinese ship from reaching Zimbabwe gained momentum on Monday with trade unions calling on their counterparts not to allow the vessel to dock at any African port. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) called for an international boycott of the vessel. "Cosatu is doing everything possible to alert the international trade-union movement... ( gunpolicy.org )
Russia, United States
Russia Jails US Pastor for Smuggling, Boarding Planes With Ammunition
CNN / AP
21 April 2008
MOSCOW, Russia -- A Moscow court on Monday sentenced a U.S. pastor to more than three years in prison for smuggling hunting ammunition into Russia. Phillip Miles, from South Carolina, has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 3. He was arrested several days after customs agents at a Moscow airport found a box of 20 rifle shells in his luggage. The court sentenced him to serve three years and two months in prison, with... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Angola, China
South African Court, Unions, NGOs Block Guns, Ammo Cargo to Zimbabwe
Scotland on Sunday
20 April 2008
Dockyard workers in Africa are refusing to unload a Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe. The whereabouts of the vessel, the An Yue Jiang, were not known last night, although it was believed to be heading to Angola. Sources say the ship is carrying three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition along with 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and several thousand mortar rounds. Dock workers in the region are expected to refuse... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa
Global Gun Control Group Seeks Court Order to Block Ammo to Zimbabwe
SW Radio Africa (London)
18 April 2008
The South African government has said that it is determined to allow the export of a consignment of Chinese weapons and ammunition to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. AB Logistics is the state owned transport section of the South African Defence Forces, and they have been approached to handle this large shipment of weapons and ammunition to Zimbabwe. A number of private companies backed out of the contract. Not necessarily because of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa
Shipload of Guns, Ammunition Heads to Zimbabwe Through South Africa
Daily Mail (UK)
18 April 2008
Fears of bloody crackdown in Zimbabwe grew last night as a shipload of weapons bound for the country docked in South Africa ready to be transported across the border. South Africa said if the papers were in order it had no plans to interfere with the shipment from China of 77 tonnes of weapons -- including mortars, ammunition and rocket-held grenades -- despite the growing international outcry over Zimbabwe's failure to declare... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa
South Africa Lets Pass 3 Million Rounds of AK-47 Ammunition for Zimbabwe
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)
18 April 2008
DURBAN -- The South African government is determined to allow the export of a large consignment of Chinese weapons and ammunition to the Zimbabwe Defence Force (ZDF). The Mail & Guardian has confirmed that AB Logistics, state-owned Armscor's transport arm, has been approached to handle the transport of the weapons to Zimbabwe, after several private logistics firms backed out of the transport contract because of the sensitive cargo... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa, Central Africa
UN Helps West and Central African Countries Fight Scourge of Illicit Guns
UN News Centre (New York), Media release
16 April 2008
A two-day United Nations conference seeking to help West and Central African nations bolster their abilities to identify and trace illicit small arms and light weapons kicks off tomorrow in Lomé, Togo. Held by the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa -- part of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs -- the gathering will assist countries' efforts to implement the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify... ( gunpolicy.org )
Italy, Libya, Chad, Sudan, China
Libya Tried to Buy 1 Million Chinese Assault Rifles, Perhaps for Chad, Sudan
Associated Press
13 April 2008
PERUGIA, Italy -- The Libyan officer tried to cloak the purpose of his call to the Italian arms dealer. "A friend," he said, wanted to buy 1 million "pieces" and 50 million items of "food." But when that phone call was placed in 2006, Italian police were listening. They knew the meaning. Libya was shopping for guns -- lots of them. Authorities shadowed the negotiations between Libyan officials and a group of black-market... ( gunpolicy.org )
Liberia
Liberia, West African States Ratifying ECOWAS Gun Control Convention
Analyst (Monrovia)
9 April 2008
The ratification of the Economic Community of West African States Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their ammunition and related materials has begun in Monrovia. The ratification exercise, which is expected to be discharged by the National Legislature, was launched on Friday, April 4, 2008 at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center in Monrovia. The ceremony brought together lawmakers, government officials, civil society leaders,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, World
Thailand Drops Charges Against Global Gun Runner to Allow US Extradition
Associated Press
9 April 2008
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thai police will seek court approval to extradite a Russian man accused of being one of the world's most prolific black market arms dealers to the United States. Intelligence officials say Bout shipped weapons to areas of civil war in Africa and Asia. Thai authorities had lodged charges against Viktor Bout related to his alleged arms smuggling activities, but are dropping them to process the U.S. request... ( gunpolicy.org )
Slovakia, United States, Afghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary
Slovakia Sold Ammunition to Miami Gun Dealer, Pentagon for Afghan War
SME (Bratislava) / BBC Monitoring Service, Transcript
8 April 2008
Slovakia has traded in arms with the AEY company, which is being investigated over fraud in the United States. The daily New York Times found out that the company had been selling old Chinese ammunition from Albania to the Afghanis for decades, claiming that it was from Hungary. It purchased other weapons and munitions for the Afghanis in Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. It is not clear what exactly happened... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
$298m Pentagon Deal: 'Fraudulent' Licensed Gun Dealer's Exports Blocked
New York Times
4 April 2008
The State Department on Thursday suspended the international export activities of AEY Inc., a Miami Beach arms-dealing company led by a 22-year-old man whose munitions procurements for the Pentagon are under criminal investigation, according to American officials familiar with the decision. The Army last week accused the firm's president, Efraim E. Diveroli, of fraud, claiming he shipped Chinese cartridges to Afghanistan after certifying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Albania
US Congress Afghan Guns Inquiry Pins Albanian PM in Corruption Probe
Balkan Insight
4 April 2008
TIRANA -- The United States Congress has announced a probe into the arms deals between U.S.-based AEY and Albanian officials. The investigation was announced by U.S. Democratic Congressman, Henry Waxman (California) and will be conducted by the House Government Oversight Committee. The weapons involved were intended to supply the Afghan Army. AEY President, 22 year-old Efraim Diveroli, the company's 25 year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Licensed US Gun Dealer Given 'Disadvantaged' Status in $300m Arms Deal
Government Executive (USA)
3 April 2008
A Miami-based defense contractor under investigation for delivering faulty munitions to Afghan security forces saw his business boom after being incorrectly labeled as a small disadvantaged business. Before the designation first appeared in the Federal Procurement Data System in mid-2006, AEY Inc., owned by 22-year-old Efraim Diveroli, had done $8.14 million in business with the federal government. Since the SDB label was applied,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Pentagon Promised $300m for 'Barely Legal' Gun Dealer's Corroded Ammo
Taxpayer.net (USA) Vol. XIII No. 14, Web Page
3 April 2008
It sounds like the plot of a Tom Clancy thriller: A tiny company run out of an unmarked Miami Beach office by a barely legal troublemaker siphons hundreds of millions of dollars from the Pentagon by selling it rusting weapons from aged Communist stockpiles. A company called AEY Inc., run by 22-year-old Efriam E. Diveroli, managed to do exactly that for four years -- yet another example of unchecked corruption and incompetence in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa, Central Africa
Central, East African States Launch Gun Marking Scheme to Curb Trafficking
East African Standard (Nairobi)
2 April 2008
NAIROBI -- Kenya became the first country in the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa to mark its small arms and light weapons. During a symbolic ceremony that coincided with a regional workshop on small arms and light weapons marking and data management, equipment belonging to the Kenya Police was marked. An expert from South Africa, Mr Anthony Coetzee, marked a G-3 rifle and a Ceska pistol using a Marking Press Machine.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
22yr-old Miami Gun Dealer Had $200m US Army Deal for Afghan War Ammo
Associated Press
28 March 2008
MIAMI -- Efraim Diveroli was barely old enough to buy alcohol. His MySpace page talked about mundane issues of youth like how he was "basically just working and chilling with my boyz when im not." Despite his age, the 22 year old from Miami Beach was also building a military weapons business with more than $200 million in U.S. government contracts. The Army now says he illegally provided Chinese-made ammunition to the Afghanistan... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, China
US Army Accuses Miami Gun Dealer of Fraud in $200m Afghan Ammo Deal
New York Times
28 March 2008
When the United States Army decided this week to suspend the main supplier of munitions to Afghan security forces from future federal work, it did so after a field investigation documented what it called an act of fraud. Last Nov. 25, the president of the company, Efraim E. Diveroli, signed papers certifying that 28 pallets of ammunition for Afghanistan had been manufactured by MFS 2000, a Hungarian company, according to the investigators'... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Congress Probes Miami Gun Dealer Over Suspect $200m Ammo Deal
CNN
28 March 2008
Efraim Diveroli's father hoped his son would become a doctor or lawyer. What he got instead is a 22-year-old international arms dealer who faces a congressional inquiry for allegedly selling old Chinese ammunition to the U.S. military to equip allies in Afghanistan. Diveroli is president of AEY Inc., a South Florida company which, according to U.S. government documents, has done more than $10 million of business with the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China
US Suspends Miami 22yr-old in $200m China-Afghan Guns, Ammo Ripoff
CNN
28 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- U.S. investigators are looking into accusations that a company hired by the U.S. military supplied corroded and decades-old Chinese ammunition to the Afghan Army and police. The U.S. government has suspended AEY Inc. of Miami, Florida for violating its contract, according to U.S. Army documents obtained by CNN. And the House Oversight Committee plans to hold a hearing into the matter on April 17. "The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Albania, Afghanistan, United States
US/Afghan Ammunition, Gun Trafficking Scandal Implicates Albanian PM
Balkan Insight (Sarajevo)
27 March 2008
TIRANA -- Albanian leaders are accused of profiting from a murky arms deal with a company whose contract with the U.S. Army was suspended this week. The allegations implicate politicians as high as Prime Minister Sali Berisha and former Defence Minster Fatmir Mediu, with corruption. The allegations were the subject of a heated debate in Parliament on Thursday. "You are thwarting our integration into NATO and should resign,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China, Albania, Iraq
US Offers 22yr-old Miami Man $300m for Old, Often Dud Afghan War Ammo
New York Times
27 March 2008
Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur. With the award... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq, United States
US Fuels Iraq War with Another 437,079 M16, M4 Assault Rifles Over 3 Years
Defense Industry Daily (USA)
26 March 2008
As Iraq's military gets back to its feet, it has received armored vehicles, up-armored Hummers, and assorted weapons, vehicles, and aircraft. The initial priority on armed combat forces that could be supported by American combat logistics has started to give way to a buildup of Iraq's own logistics and maintenance capabilities. On March 21/08, the US DSCA announced a formal request by Iraq's government for various vehicles, small... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Shows, Dealers Supply Gun Runners Who Fuel Mexican Drug Wars
El Paso Times (Texas)
21 March 2008
A semi-automatic, 50-caliber weapon and 23 other guns were seized from border arms traffickers by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents, officials said Friday. The weapons, purchased at El Paso gun shows, gun shops and the Internet, were headed for Mexico to be resold to unknown persons. Officials arrested John Aguilar, a U.S. citizen living in El Paso, who was allegedly a "straw man"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Puerto Rico
Florida Gun Dealers, Gun Shows, Smugglers Fuel Puerto Rico's Drug Wars
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
19 March 2008
More than 200 guns bought illegally from Central Florida shops went to Puerto Rico drug gangs responsible for scores of murders in recent years, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday. Investigators predicted "Operation Tropical Firepower," as the investigation is known, will expand and link up to 800 weapons to more than a dozen suspects arrested this week and others still at large. Already, it is the region's largest... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Guns and Gun Running: Small Arms Trade in Latin America - NACLA Report
NACLA Report on the Americas Vol. 41, No. 2
19 March 2008
Small arms and gun violence present the most dramatic threat to public safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. After decades of uncontrolled proliferation, at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons -- that is, weapons operated by an individual or small group, including handguns, assault rifles, grenades, grenade launchers, and even man portable surface to air missiles -- are circulating throughout the region. (1)... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Guns and Gun Running: Small Arms Trade in the Americas - NACLA Report
NACLA Report on the Americas Vol. 41, No. 2, Editorial
19 March 2008
Gun violence has plagued Latin America since the early days of the colonial era. In June, archaeologists excavating an old Inca cemetery near Lima found a skull marred by a pair of small, round holes -- evidence of the oldest gunshot victim in the Americas yet discovered. The musket, in this case likely fired during the final battle for the Incan empire in 1536, was brought over by the Spaniards, and in a sense, the invasion of gun technology... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Caribbean, Central America, South America
US Senate Stalls Hemispheric Arms Control in the Americas - NACLA Report
NACLA Report on the Americas Vol. 41, No. 2
19 March 2008
In 1997, President Bill Clinton, standing beside Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo in the Organization of American States' flag-bedecked Hall of the Americas, declared: "Gun trafficking is an issue of national security for our governments, and a matter of neighborhood security for all of us in the Americas." The presidents had joined together to sign an OAS treaty known as the Firearms Convention, or by its Spanish initials as CIFTA, designed... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
From Thai Jail, Alleged Russian Arms Dealer Denies Illegal Gun Running
Associated Press
17 March 2008
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A lawyer for a purported Russian arms dealer said Monday his client had not committed any crime "anywhere in the world," adding that he would beat U.S. allegations that he tried to supply arms to Colombian rebels. Viktor Bout, who has been called "The Merchant of Death," was arrested two weeks ago at a luxury hotel in Bangkok after a U.S.-led sting operation. He was charged with conspiracy for allegedly trying... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Africa
'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout Had Gun Running Deals With East Africans
East African (Nairobi)
17 March 2008
Viktor Bout. His name has a sharp, staccato to it, much like the sound of an AK-47 shot. Dubbed the "Merchant of Death" by former British foreign office minister Peter Hain, the countries the Russian national has reputedly sold arms to -- Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Congo and others -- read like a list of Africa's worst killing fields. The UN and international human-rights activists say that those arms, obtained illegally or... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Iraq
200,000 Missing Guns at Centre of US, Iraq, Kuwait Military Corruption Probe
KippReport (Dubai) / Trends Magazine
16 March 2008
Major Gloria D. Davis of the US Army was buried in Washington's Arlington Cemetery, the last resting place of many of America's military heroes, on December 23, 2006. But the 47-year-old Davis, of Missouri, an 18-year army veteran, did not perish fighting her country's enemies. Instead, the US Army said, she died in "a non-combat-related incident" in Iraq. In fact, Gloria Davis put a bullet in her brain on December 12 in her quarters... ( gunpolicy.org )
China, Sudan
China Denies Dramatic Increase in Assault Weapon sales to Sudan, Darfur
Associated Press
14 March 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A U.S.-based human rights group said China dramatically boosted small-arms sales to Sudan as violence escalated in Darfur. Beijing denied the group's report on Friday. The report released Thursday by Human Rights First said China is the biggest supplier of small arms to Sudan. It provided 90 percent of all the African nation's small arms acquisitions between 2004 and 2006, totaling more than $50 million.... ( gunpolicy.org )
China, Sudan
China Sold $55 Million Worth of Guns to Sudan, Says Human Rights Group
Agence France Presse
13 March 2008
BEIJING -- China is the biggest supplier of small arms to Sudan following three years of increased sales that helped fuel violence in the African nation's Darfur region, a US-based rights group has said. From 2004 to 2006, China sold over 55 million dollars worth of small arms to the Sudanese government, which then armed the Arab militias accused of genocide in Darfur, Human Rights First said in a report released on Thursday. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United Nations
Global Gun Trade Treaty Eludes Student Consensus in Canada's Model UN
South Asian Focus (Ontario)
13 March 2008
Leave it to our kids to make the rules, and the world could well become a better place. Resolutions they recently undertook as simulated United Nations members included far more rigorous regulation of the arms trade -- and in some instances an effective ban on arms transfer to potential global hot spots. The Sri Lankan delegation suggested a non-partisan body composed of 15 neutral third-party diplomats have to power to... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
Viktor Bout, Notorious Arms Dealer Arrested in Thailand. Why?
Economist / Reuters
13 March 2008
A former Soviet military-intelligence officer, stranded in Africa by the collapse of his country, turns to gun-running and builds a lucrative international business. It is the sort of outfit that thrives on pointless wars in failed, dirt-poor places. But it also plays a part in some bigger conflicts. Its list of past customers includes the world's best-known terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda and Colombia's FARC -- and Western governments... ( gunpolicy.org )
Liberia, Netherlands
Dutch Court Frees Timber Trader Accused of Gun Running to Liberia
New York Times
11 March 2008
PARIS -- A Dutch appeals court on Monday overturned the conviction of a lumber trader who had been found guilty of breaking a United Nations embargo and smuggling weapons for Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, during that country's civil war. Guus Kouwenhoven, 65, a Dutch trader and a business partner of Mr. Taylor, had been sentenced in 2006 to eight years in prison for selling Liberian lumber on the world market... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa
South African Government Must Admit Any Links to Gun Runner Viktor Bout
Times (Johannesburg), Opinion
11 March 2008
The arrest this past week in Thailand of notorious arms smuggler and cargo kingpin Victor Bout comes at a poignant time for South Africa. We have seen a heightened awareness of corruption and its corrosive consequences in the context of the criminal trials against Jacob Zuma and suspended national police commissioner Jackie Selebi, as well as the ANC's probe of Chancellor House and its interests in business. It is in this... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, Africa, Middle East, World
Arrest of Notorious Gun Runner Highlights Need for Global Arms Trade Treaty
Guardian (UK) / Comment is Free, Web Page
10 March 2008
Viktor Vassilyevich Bout began his career transporting flowers and frozen chickens across Africa. He quickly moved on to diamonds, mining equipment, Kalashnikov assault rifles, bullets and helicopter gunships. Having evaded an international arrest warrant for more than five years, the notorious Russian arms dealer was finally arrested this week in Thailand. Dubbed the "merchant of death", Bout is regarded as one of the most prolific arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria, Germany
German Gun Makers Profited from Decades of Armed Violence in Nigeria
Guardian (Lagos), Opinion
10 March 2008
On New Year's Day 2008, 18 people died in a shooting scene in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, amongst them civilians who were caught up in the crossfire. Just like in Kenya -- where massacres were raging at the same time -- there was a German weapon at the centre of the violence: according to Nigerian press reports, the police confiscated one Heckler & Koch (H&K) G3 assault rifle from the attackers. However, German media only reported... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, World
Gun Runner Viktor Bout Likely to Reveal US Complicity if Brought to Trial
Newsweek (USA)
10 March 2008
U.S. officials are thrilled about the arrest in Bangkok of accused Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout following a lengthy undercover sting by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Dubbed the "Merchant of Death," Bout had been a top target for years. But if, as expected, he is extradited to New York, where he faces charges of conspiring to provide weapons to Colombian guerrillas, the case could also embarrass some U.S. government figures.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, World
Gun Runner Viktor Bout's Offsider Smulian Arrested, Charged in New York
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul) / AP
10 March 2008
NEW YORK -- A man accused of helping a purported arms dealer try to sell millions of dollars of weapons to Colombian rebels was ordered held without bail Monday on conspiracy charges. Andrew Smulian did not enter a plea when he appeared in U.S. District Court in Manhattan after his morning arrest. He and Viktor Bout, a Russian arrested Thursday in Thailand, are charged with conspiring to deliver powerful weapons to Colombia's leftist... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Nations, World
Jailed Global Gun Runner Bout Will Be Quickly Replaced: UN Treaty Needed
Center for Defense Information (USA), Web Page
10 March 2008
On March 6, 2008 Thai police arrested the notorious arms broker Viktor Bout on charges of supplying arms and explosives to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), a Colombian rebel group cited by the United States as a terrorist organization. Bout is among the world's most well-known arms brokers, credited with supplying weapons that have fueled some of the bloodiest wars in the last two decades. He has been accused of violating... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia, Iraq
Serbian Arms Industry Expects to Thrive on Major Gun Making Deal with Iraq
SEESAC (Belgrade) / BBC Monitoring Service, Beta News Agency, Transcript
10 March 2008
The contract on exporting weapons and military equipment to Iraq, worth 236m dollars, which the Serbian arms trading company Jugoimport SDPR signed with the government of Iraq, is the most significant deal the Serbian military industry has made since the end of 1990, when a contract was signed with Kuwait about the exports of 175 domestically produced M-84 tanks. The first instalment, adding up to 20 per cent of what the deal is... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda, Africa
Ugandan Army Generals Linked to 'Merchant of Death' Gun Runner Bout
Monitor (Kampala)
10 March 2008
KAMPALA -- Mr Viktor Bout, the world's most notorious illegal arms baron who was arrested in Thailand at the weekend, sold arms to Uganda and illegally used Entebbe International Airport to ship arms to DR Congo and Liberia. Former Russian KGB officer Bout -- nicknamed the "Merchant of Death" -- is believed to have supplied weapons to dozens of rebel groups the world over, including the Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked groups. A... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, World
Africans Have Reason to Celebrate: Gun Runner Victor Bout is Behind Bars
Chicago Tribune
9 March 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- Africans have an extraordinary reason to celebrate this week. True, for untold thousands of their war dead, the news comes too late. But this is a rare occasion, a bittersweet coda, to remember them by: Victor Bout is finally behind bars. Most people have never heard of Bout. That's the way he has always liked it. Bout, Butt, Boutov, Budd or Bulakin -- the paunchy and mustachioed Russian former intelligence... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa, Thailand, Russia, United States, Africa, World
'Merchant of Death' Gun Runner's' Secret Connections in Southern Africa
Cape Argus (Capetown)
9 March 2008
An arrest at a luxury Thailand hotel has sent shockwaves rippling through various governmental, aviation and murky arms-trade, diamond-dealing and money-laundering circles from Johannesburg and Polokwane through to Kabul, Kinshasa, Ostend and Washington. Former Johannesburg resident Viktor Bout, the man dubbed the Merchant of Death and said to have inspired the blockbuster movie The Lord of War, was arrested on Thursday in a sting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, World
Revealed: Trap that Lured the Merchant of Death, Gun Runner Viktor Bout
Observer (UK)
9 March 2008
His notorious expoits as an arms dealer have been captured in a Hollywood film. Now, after fuelling wars for a decade, Viktor Bout is behind bars. Here we uncover the elaborate sting operation that led to the downfall of the former Soviet officer with his own fleet of planes who evaded justice for so long. The war between Israel and Hizbollah was three days old when American intelligence spotted a bear-sized man with a moustache... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, World
Thailand Plans Inquiry on Gun Running Suspect as US Seeks Custody
New York Times
8 March 2008
BANGKOK -- The Thai police said Friday that a Russian businessman regarded as one of the world's most notorious arms dealers would be held here for investigation even as the United States sought his extradition. At a news conference, a police spokesman said the authorities were investigating whether the businessman, Viktor Bout, 41, had used Thailand as a base for negotiating arms deals with terrorists. Mr. Bout appeared at the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Russia, World
Coalition of Forces, US Sting Toppled Global Gun Runner Bout in Thailand
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
7 March 2008
The elusive global gunrunner dubbed the Merchant of Death has finally been captured. Viktor Bout, originally from Russia, was arrested yesterday at a five-star hotel in Bangkok. Thought to be a former Russian spy, something he denies, he is said to speak six languages and hold as many passports. He has long been known to global intelligence services for dispatching transport aircraft brimming with weaponry to anyone willing to pay,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Colombia, World
Gun Runner Viktor Bout Aided US in Iraq, Plus African Warlords, Taliban et al
Los Angeles Times
7 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- The long hunt for a man regarded as one of the world's most notorious arms dealers climaxed Thursday in Bangkok, Thailand, where an eight-month sting operation by a team of U.S. agents led to the capture and arrest of Russian businessman Viktor Bout during an alleged attempt to supply Colombian rebels with weapons and explosives. Bout was taken into custody by Thai police at a luxury hotel in Bangkok, where, U.S. officials... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, World
How the Lord of War Was Nabbed - Thais May Try Gun Runner Viktor Bout
Time (USA)
7 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- Viktor Bout may have started to believe the hype. While negotiating his most recent arms deal, Bout had his associate give the potential buyers a copy of a recent magazine article about him titled "The Merchant of Death" -- just so they'd know who they were dealing with. After almost two decades of outfoxing authorities while supplying weapons to the most deadly conflicts around the globe, the former Soviet Air Force pilot... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Colombia, World
If Viktor Bout Did Not Exist, a Thriller Writer Would Have Invented Him
Guardian (UK)
7 March 2008
BANGKOK -- If Viktor Bout did not exist, a thriller writer would have invented him. A former Russian lieutenant, he became one of the world's biggest arms dealers, flying his ancient Soviet planes into battlefields from Liberia to Afghanistan. His clients have included the Taliban and the US government, African warlords and the UN. He has as many aliases as an AK-47 has rounds, and has acquired the nicknames Merchant of Death and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Colombia, World
Russian Arms Dealer Arrested, Accused of Gun Running in Africa, Mideast
Washington Post
7 March 2008
Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was usually a careful man, dealing with customers through intermediaries and ordering subordinates to throw away cellphones, receipts and anything else that could be traced. After two buyers claiming to be Colombian guerrillas approached him last November, Bout tried to double-check their identities using photographs of known leaders of the group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Russia, World
Russian Arms Dealer's Arrest Reflects Global Web of Gun Runners
Agence France Presse
7 March 2008
MOSCOW -- From factories in a breakaway zone of Moldova to underwater test sites in Kyrgyzstan, the ex-Soviet Union has provided rich pickings for arms dealers like the legendary Viktor Bout. Bout, who was arrested March 6 in a joint U.S.-Thai operation in Bangkok, is alleged to have been at the heart of a new kind of weapons trading that emerged from the ashes of the Cold War in 1991. Various reports have linked Bout to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, World
US Charges Notorious Russian Arms Dealer With Gun Running to Colombia
New York Times
7 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- A Russian businessman regarded by the United States as one of the world's most notorious arms dealers was arrested in Thailand on Thursday as part of an American-led sting operation. He was promptly charged in the United States with conspiracy for trying to smuggle missiles and rocket launchers to rebels in Colombia. The businessman, Viktor Bout, 41, is suspected of supplying weapons to the Taliban and Al Qaeda and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, Colombia, World
'Lord of War' Gun Runner Viktor Bout Arrested in Thailand on US Charges
Times (UK) / Reuters
6 March 2008
A Russian arms dealer thought to have inspired the lead character in the blockbuster film Lord of War was arrested in Bangkok today. Viktor Bout, 41, was detained while allegedly attempting to buy weapons for Colombian rebels. Dubbed "the merchant of death", he has been accused of breaking UN embargoes since the early 1990s by selling arms to conflict-torn regions in Africa and around the world. Thai police said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, World
'Most-wanted' Global Gun Runner Arrested in Thailand: US Wants Viktor Bout
CNN
6 March 2008
NEW YORK -- For years, Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout made millions of dollars delivering weapons and ammunition to warlords and militants, officials say. On Thursday, Bout and his associate, Andrew Smulian, were arrested in Thailand after a series of events that officials said could have come straight out of a spy novel. The men's capture involved law enforcement agencies from at least five countries, including two undercover... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, World
Russian Gun Runner Dubbed 'Merchant of Death' Arrested in Bangkok Sting
Associated Press
6 March 2008
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A suspected Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death" was arrested Thursday in Bangkok on allegations that he conspired to supply Colombian rebels with arms and explosives, Thai police said. Police Lt. Gen. Pongpat Chayapan said Viktor Bout was arrested in a hotel on a warrant from a Thai court following a monthlong manhunt. The warrant came out of an earlier one issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Colombia, World
Russia, US May Compete to Extradite 'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout
Los Angeles Times
6 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- The long hunt for the world's most notorious arms dealer climaxed today in Bangkok, where Thai authorities arrested Russian businessman Viktor Bout on charges of supplying Colombian rebels with weapons and explosives, federal officials confirmed. Bout, whose global air transport empire armed rebels in Africa and the Taliban in Afghanistan and later aided U.S. military supply efforts in Iraq, was captured as part of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, World
Thais Arrest 'Merchant of Death' Russian Gun Runner, US Feds Lay Charges
Reuters
6 March 2008
BANGKOK/NEW YORK -- Viktor Bout, an international arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death," was arrested in Thailand and charged in New York on Thursday with trying to sell weapons to Colombian rebels, officials said. Bout, the target of U.S. sanctions, was charged with conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in New York.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, World, Colombia
US Charges Arms Dealer Viktor Bout with Gun Running to Terrorists - DOJ
US Department of Justice, Media release
6 March 2008
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... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, Colombia, World
Viktor Bout Arrested in Thailand, Russia May Lift Him to Safety - Doug Farah
douglasfarah.com, Web Page
6 March 2008
Viktor Bout, the subject of my book with Steve Braun has been arrested in Thailand on charges of supplying weapons to the FARC in Colombia. It is a stunning blow to the world's "Merchant of Death," who has been responsible for fanning wars across Africa, as well as aiding and abetting the Taliban, and thus, indirectly, al Qaeda. Of course, this may finally stop the U.S. from carrying on dealing with him, despite his being... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, World
After Voting No at UN, US Belatedly Joins Global Arms Trade Treaty Talks
Arms Control Today (USA)
5 March 2008
All 28 countries invited to do so, including the United States, sent representatives to a UN-sponsored experts meeting in February to explore a global arms trade treaty (ATT). The United States originally voted against starting the effort (see ACT, December 2006), prompting many to believe it would not participate in the process. The Feb. 11-15 governmental group of experts meeting is the first of three such meetings slated to take... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Global Arms Trade Treaty the Focus of Canada's Annual Mock UN Debate
Mississauga News (Ontario)
5 March 2008
Provocative Canadian journalist Gwynne Dyer will give the keynote address on the arms trade when Peel District School Board students gather on Friday for their 13th annual United Nations model assembly. Students from 24 schools will assume their chosen member nation's position and participate in a simulated UN debate. They'll debate a resolution that focuses on the creation of an international arms trade treaty that will... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sudan, China, Chad, Austria
Guns, Grenade Launchers in Chad, Darfur Traced Back to China, Austria
Mother Jones (USA)
22 February 2008
My first glimpse into the flow of small arms into Darfur began at 4:45 on a February morning in 2006. The lights were off in the first-class Sudan Airways lounge at Khartoum International Airport. Sitting to my left was Abdallah, resplendent in white robes, sporting spectacles and a sharply trimmed goatee. Back then, Abdallah's younger brother, Mahamat Nour, was the leader of an 8,000-man rebel force sworn to overthrow the government of... ( gunpolicy.org )
India, Russia
Kalashnikov Faces Tough Fight Rebuilding Gun Sales in India, World
Telegraph (Calcutta)
22 February 2008
NEW DELHI -- Mikhail Timofeyevich's terrible legacy spawned a culture that changed the face of war forever. But now the Avtomat Kalashnikov assault rifle that bears his surname is struggling to recreate a culture in which everything Russian was the preferred choice for the Indian armed forces. The makers of the Kalash, arguably the best-known name in small arms, were tucked away in a five-foot-by-five-foot prefab stall... ( gunpolicy.org )
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