1 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: Welcome to It Could Happen Here podcast about how the 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: world is falling apart and sometimes about how to put 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: it together, but today mostly about the people who are 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: accelerating the falling apart. Garrison's with me, Sharen's with me. 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,119 Speaker 1: We are talking today about the Merchant of Death, the 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: Lord of War, Victor Boot. So she probably started off 7 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: by talking about why we're talking about Victor Boot. Victor 8 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: Boots always an interesting topic of conversation, but he's come 9 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: up recently because he's one of the people who has 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: been proposed to be exchanged for two US citizens who 11 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: are being held by Russia, one being Brittany Grinder and 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: one being Paul Wheelon. So I'm guessing folks are pretty 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: familiar with the Brittany Grinder situation. If if not, what's 14 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: the what's the t LDR on that? Yeah, t l 15 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 1: d R is. Brittney Grinder is a two time Olympic 16 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:11,279 Speaker 1: gold medalist. She's a basketball player and she often plays 17 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: offseason basketball in Russia, which tells you a lot about 18 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: disparities in wages between men and women in professional sport. 19 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: And unfortunately, when she was traveling to Russia, I guess 20 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:27,759 Speaker 1: she had a weed vape cartridge in her back, and 21 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: so she was arrested and accused of drug smuggling and yeah, which, yeah, 22 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: like it's as you as as we go through this, 23 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: it will become very clear that I don't think it's 24 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: controversial to say that the Russian state engages in hostage taking, 25 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: right for sure. Yeah, I don't think that's like a 26 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: controversial statement that this lady is not drug smuggling. Yeah, 27 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: I too would probably want to take drugs if I 28 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: had to spend my off seasons in Russia. But like, 29 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: it's so transparent what they're doing. It's like they don't 30 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: even attempts to not it's just yeah, it's they're are 31 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: being sneaky about it. They're very clearly being like, we're 32 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: taking this person hostage. Yeah, and we will hold this 33 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: person hostage until you give us the person that we 34 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: want back right there. And even so, there was a 35 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: previous guy. Um, he was a marine held by Russia. 36 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: So there's Paul Wheeler is the other guy, right, Paul 37 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: Wheeland was a marine. He had a he didn't have 38 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:35,079 Speaker 1: a dishonorable discharge. He had what's called I think another 39 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: than honorable discharge. He was doing a couple of things. 40 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: He was embezzling shipped from the United States government, which 41 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: is pretty based. Yeah, yeah, we should all be so lucky. 42 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: And he was also writing bad checks. His checks were bouncing, 43 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: so he got booted from the Marine Corps for that 44 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: and was doing some kind of private security work, it 45 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: seemed like. So he was arrested in Russia. Another former 46 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: Marine towards, Trevor Reid, was arrested, and his cases just 47 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: almost comic, like, well, it's not coming. But the guy 48 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: was driving with his girlfriend at the time. They've been 49 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: on a big night out there in a car. He 50 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: got drunk, got belligerent, started getting fighty uh, and they 51 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: pulled over and some of his mates were like, look, 52 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: if you don't calm down, we're going to have to 53 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: call the police that you keep fighting with us. They 54 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: called the police. The police were like, right, we'll take 55 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: you in, you sleep it off, deal with you in 56 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: the morning to kick you out. And then at some 57 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: point the next morning, the FSB turned up, which is 58 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: like the inheritor of the legacy of the KGB, and 59 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: we're like, oh, Trevor, why did you attack the cops 60 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: last night? Why why did you do that why why 61 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: would you assault the police, the Russian police, And he 62 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: was like, what are you talking about, bro? And they 63 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 1: were like, yeah, you're going to jail. You're a spy. Yeah. 64 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: So the US government, Biden and the Biden swapped him out. 65 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: And the two who are left, well, there are other 66 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: people left, obviously. But when we stopped out for for 67 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: the other guy, Trevor Read, I'm not sure who was 68 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: traded for Trevor Read. I should look at that real quick. 69 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: It's the most like weird. I mean that nothing is 70 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: too strange at this point, but like when you really 71 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:23,719 Speaker 1: think about it, these countries like trading people. Yes, so 72 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: strange to me. Yeah he was, he was. He was 73 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: traded out for someone who was in here on drug 74 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: grafting charges. I guess so they switch out Read, right, 75 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 1: But Read and we Land have become close in their captivity, 76 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: and Read's been a big advocate for having Whelan released. 77 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: Whiland's kind of yeah, you're taking the pit if you 78 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: think Brittany grind is a drug traffica. But Whillan does 79 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: have like five different nationalities. I think he's he's got American, 80 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: he's got Canadian. He might only have four. I think 81 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: he's got British and Irish um. So he's a former 82 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: service member in the United States and like this guy 83 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: was broke, right he was. He was bouncing checks. As 84 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: we're learning this episode. One of the things intelligence agencies 85 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 1: tend to like is people who are bouncing checks, Like 86 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: those of those people are easy to recruit, right leg 87 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: if you're if you're if you're trying to buy ship 88 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,720 Speaker 1: that you can't afford, you might be easier to recruit 89 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: if you if they offer you money. Right So it's 90 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: I'm not saying he's Despi. I've got no idea whatsoever. 91 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 1: I've got no unique insight into that, but I am 92 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: saying that like his case is a little bit more interesting. 93 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:44,679 Speaker 1: So the United States has proposed trading Victor Boot for 94 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: both Grinder and Wheeling. That was kind of doing the 95 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: rim of World for a while, but a Russian source 96 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: confirmed it last weekend. So that's why we want to 97 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: talk about Victor Boot today. It's spelled bo Ut by 98 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,719 Speaker 1: the way, if anyone's looking up, if people are familiar 99 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: with Victor but at all, it will be probably from 100 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 1: the Nicolas Cage film Lord of War. Have you seen that, 101 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: either of you I have not I subjected Chris to it. 102 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: Now Chris can't make the podcast, so that's good. Will 103 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 1: be Nicolas cage free in this episode. It's a pretty 104 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: epic film. It's a good Nicolas Cage play Boot. Yeah. 105 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: Oh fuck yeah, yeah, I like I need to see 106 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: that that I wish, yeah, I wish I could share 107 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: with you, just the scene where like he just turns 108 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:39,239 Speaker 1: to the camera and says something like, there's there's fifty 109 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: million guns in the world. That's one for every twelve 110 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: people on My only question is how do we are 111 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: the other eleven? But at some point he like just 112 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 1: puffs on a fat cigar in the middle of that. 113 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:52,159 Speaker 1: We have an accent. No, he doesn't do a Russian accent. 114 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: Actually that's disappointing. Allegedly, that's a real quote from from 115 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:00,160 Speaker 1: Victor Boot. By the way, well, if you can find 116 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 1: a clip, we can slice it in. Yeah. I can 117 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: find a clip. I got one. I got one lined 118 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:07,840 Speaker 1: up on my computer. I will send it to our 119 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: our fair editors. There are over five hundred fifty million 120 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: firearms and worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for avery twelve 121 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: people on the planet. The only question is how do 122 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: we own the other eleven. It's great. It's classic Nicholas Cage. 123 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: He can't do anything wrong. It's so true. Ghost ghostwriter 124 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 1: never happened. I don't know what you're talking about. Does 125 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: it does not matter? Nope, It's been a race from 126 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: my memory. So, aside from Nicholas Cage's accent betrayal of 127 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: the film, isn't shockingly isn't that accurate? Notably, he didn't 128 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: actually grow up in Brighton Beach, Old Victor. He grew 129 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 1: up in dushan Bay In that's uh was in the 130 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: Tagic province of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Right 131 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: now it's into Jikistan's capital. And we know, well, there's 132 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: a lot of stories about this guy. It's very hard 133 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 1: to confirm which of them is true. There are He's 134 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: clearly told as many background stories, as he's met new 135 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: groups of people, when he's moved around the world, and 136 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: as his mom is on the scene. So we do 137 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: know that his mother is still alive. I think she's 138 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: eighty five. She will occasionally pop up in the Russian 139 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: press and ask Joe Biden to let her poor innocent 140 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: son go, which is very amusing. His dad we know 141 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,560 Speaker 1: was a car mechanic, so he's not like a child 142 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: of privilege particularly. But at some point he seems to 143 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:49,200 Speaker 1: have joined the Soviet military, probably the Air Force, and 144 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: he's trained at their military academy of languages. And this 145 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,719 Speaker 1: guy's capacity for language is insane. He can go down 146 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: the shops in like fifteen different languages. He can speak 147 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: fluently in half a dozen. He can, you know, order 148 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:13,959 Speaker 1: a sandwich in like twenty languages. Yeah, I want that power, Yeah, 149 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: don't we all? It seems to be like, um, these 150 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: people who like thrive in in like nonstate activities in 151 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: crime and stuff like do seem to like having a 152 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: capacity for language seems to be a massive benefit in 153 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:30,559 Speaker 1: that world. And you hear about quite a lot later 154 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: on when he's in prison in Thailand, he learned Sanskrit. 155 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,679 Speaker 1: Um he doesn't bother to learn Thai. He doesn't want 156 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: people to think they can understand what he's saying. But 157 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,439 Speaker 1: so he's like, I'll learned Sanskrit while I'm here, Like 158 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 1: I'm running out of options. So yeah, he's got this 159 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 1: amazing capacity for language, which probably ends up with him 160 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: being a spook. It's not like it's not cast iron 161 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: that he worked for the KGB, But it's that way 162 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:05,560 Speaker 1: we know that he was bouncing around in Angola as 163 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,959 Speaker 1: part of the civil war there, so it's it's unlikely 164 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:10,719 Speaker 1: that he was a pay clerk or like the guy 165 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: who changed the tires on the airplanes. They didn't send 166 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: him to Angola. And and when the Soviet Union collapses, 167 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 1: Victor is in Angola, right, or at least he gets 168 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: to Angola pretty quickly, not I think because it's the 169 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: place he wanted to be, but because it was one 170 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 1: of the places that had the least regulations on civilian 171 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,760 Speaker 1: use of military aircraft. So this is where he goes 172 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: from KGB Dute who speaks a lot of languages, to 173 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 1: beginning to be this international arm stealing sort of god. 174 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 1: And he does that by buying these Antonov planes. People 175 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 1: might not be familiar with Antonov. It's just a giant plane. 176 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 1: It's a huge cargo plane. Obviously a little bit outdated now, 177 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 1: but you're will see them. But this is like the 178 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: Russian big hauler, right, carries a lot of stuff to 179 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: a lot of places. And by getting those and having 180 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:15,839 Speaker 1: absolutely zero morals, he launches his career and like he's 181 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,839 Speaker 1: not just selling weapons. Certainly to start with, he's um 182 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: American people don't get this thing. We have this British 183 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 1: stereotype of like the wheeler dealer, as epitomized by like 184 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 1: Dellboy in a TV series called Only Fools and Horses. 185 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:32,200 Speaker 1: But he's like a market trader. He'll buy whatever he 186 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: thinks he can score cheap and take it wherever he 187 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: thinks he can sell expensive. Right, so he's moving like 188 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: frozen chicken. At one point he's moving flowers from South Africa, 189 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: and like throughout his career is this massive international arms dealer. 190 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: He'll just be like, oh, chicken over there is super cheap, right, 191 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 1: let's move that chicken over here. We can make a killing. 192 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: Like he doesn't I think like we should stress it. 193 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,319 Speaker 1: He's not like a guy who's obsessed with with the 194 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:02,960 Speaker 1: guns and weapons and killing people. I don't think. I 195 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:06,679 Speaker 1: think he's a guy who has absolutely zero morals and 196 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:09,439 Speaker 1: it's just like, well, there's a high profit margin on guns, 197 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:12,440 Speaker 1: so that's where I'll move. But I don't think it's 198 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: like there's there seems to be no moral angle to 199 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: his his existence. Like very quickly after doing that, he's 200 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: selling weapons into democratic Republic of Congo. He's selling into 201 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: Liberia in the conflict there Sierra Leone, Rwanda after the genocide. 202 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 1: He's there, right, but he's also like transporting French troops 203 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:39,959 Speaker 1: to Rwanda. Later he will be doing contracts for the 204 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 1: United States government, for the British government, for most of 205 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:48,960 Speaker 1: the Western governments participate in the Forever War, right, And 206 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: it's very funny actually, like if you're in the phase 207 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: when the United States is looking for him, which is 208 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:56,840 Speaker 1: a bit later when he becomes like a wanted man. 209 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 1: He keeps doing these different shell company it is right 210 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: to avoid things like sanctions, and the way that he 211 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 1: the way that the United States Department of Justice publishes 212 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: their list, there will be every year or six months, 213 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:12,160 Speaker 1: so I'll be like, right, no one can do business 214 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: with these companies. They're bad, they're connected to arms dealing. 215 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: And then the United States Department of Defense will go 216 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: down its list of people it does business with and 217 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: be like, oh, ship, there's like six of them who 218 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: we were like integraly relying on. And then he'll just 219 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 1: change the name and so it's fine cause they change 220 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: their name and then there's like they're it's like Tom 221 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: and Jerry or Whack a mole. You know, he keeps 222 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: popping up with these new companies. Um, so he sort 223 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 1: of really gets this massive boost around two thousand and one, 224 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:44,719 Speaker 1: right with eleven. So nine eleven is a big win 225 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: for him. It's well, that's the oppisode, that's the sound by. Yeah. 226 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:57,000 Speaker 1: So he's super tight with Ahmad Shah Masud. People are 227 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 1: familiar presumably with that we call the Northern Alliance, um, 228 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 1: the the people in Afghanistan who the United States back 229 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 1: to fight the Taliban. He'd been selling weapons to Massued 230 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: for a while, and he seems to actually like genuinely 231 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: be friendly with Massud, Like he talks about him, and 232 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: we'll get onto how we know him talking about him 233 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: in a little bit, but he talks about him very fondly. 234 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: He's he's a big Massud guy. And so he claims 235 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: he doesn't trade with the Taliban, and he holds his 236 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: claim up for a long as time until crew his 237 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: plane and crew are held by the Taliban at an 238 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 1: airport in Afghanistan, which like how did they get their victor? 239 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: And there's two really, like there's two stories about how 240 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: they escape. The one story is that like the Taliban 241 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: require them to maintain this plane every so often because 242 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 1: they want to be able to use the plane. Right, 243 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: So these these Russian guys are these these contractors for 244 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:03,480 Speaker 1: Victor for are doing maintenance on the plane and then 245 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: they like in sort of like Michael Caine movie style, 246 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: like cosh their guards over the head, jump start the 247 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 1: plane and just pin it to the end of the runway, 248 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: take off and fly to freedom. And that's the narrative 249 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: that was like popular until Victor Boot was like, nah, 250 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: like I know all those people I just called and 251 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: was like, do you want to do business with Victor 252 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: Boot or do you want to hold this plane hostage? 253 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,120 Speaker 1: Because it's one or the other and you're fund without 254 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: me and seem Yeah, it's a shame. I like. I 255 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: like Story one better. I like Story to Story too 256 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 1: is objectively, in my opinion, a little bit more badass 257 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: on his part, you know what I mean? Yeah, that's 258 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: the power he has. Yeah, oh yeah, I think when 259 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: this this guy clicks his fingers, the world, the world listens, 260 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: like I certainly did until he was in prison learning sanscript. Yeah, 261 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 1: if you're the pilot, there's There was an interview I 262 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: found on YouTube with one of his pilots as well, 263 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: where he's like, yeah, and you can't do that for 264 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 1: very long. He's like, we're constantly landing, like we're being 265 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: shot at. Woman landing, we're being shot at when we're 266 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 1: taking off, Like we get on the ground and just 267 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 1: like eat everything out the back and then just take 268 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 1: off again. And like we make a ton of money 269 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: because no one else is prepared to do that, but 270 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: probably isn't great for your long term well being. And 271 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: so he's by like this sort of peak of his 272 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 1: career in the early two thousand. He's got hundreds of employees, 273 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: he's got sixty aircraft, and he has moved his operation 274 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: to Charger, which is a very sort of conservative emirate. 275 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: It's we're still one of the dry emirates, right, but 276 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: it has what's called a free trade zone. So on 277 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: top of all his other ship, he's also not paying 278 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: import export taxes and so he's based there, which seems 279 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 1: to allow him to operate pretty much without impunity. He's 280 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: moving a ton of small arms from Ukraine, so at 281 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: the end of the Soviet Union, Ukraine makes a big 282 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: thing of being like we're returning on nuclear weapons, right, 283 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:08,360 Speaker 1: people will be familiar with this that they don't want 284 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: their nukes anymore. Um. But they also amassed just an 285 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 1: incredible amount of small arms, right, So that's like guns, bombs, grenades, 286 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 1: things like that, right, machine guns. And because a bunch 287 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:26,680 Speaker 1: of the what was the Soviet military small arms the 288 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 1: stored in Ukraine, that becomes like the nexus for the 289 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: black market. And we think that if ethnically Ukrainian, and 290 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: he certainly seems to have just been shoveling weapons out 291 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: of Ukraine to conflicts in largely in Africa, right, Like, 292 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:43,800 Speaker 1: if there's a civil war that you know about in 293 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: Africa or one that you don't know about, probably both 294 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: sides are using his weapons like that, that's a that's 295 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 1: a fair assumption to make. And by the late nineties 296 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:58,439 Speaker 1: early two thousands, he's selling everywhere and using his business 297 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: to laund the money for other leagual activities. And he 298 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: was he was linked to the Kadafi regime. He was 299 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: also selling to rebels in Libya. Um. So it's a 300 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: huge operation. He's the go to guy for weapons, right, 301 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,919 Speaker 1: and he sort of comes and they Interpol go after him. 302 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: In two thousand and two, there's a Belgian warrant for him, 303 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 1: but Belgiums of having to drop their case because it's 304 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: unclear where he lives, so they can't be like, yeah, 305 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: he's a resident here, he's a Belgian resident, because Interpol like, 306 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: now this this guy keeps moving around like it's not 307 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 1: clear if you have jurisdiction. Central African Republic also, I 308 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:39,919 Speaker 1: think had a warrant out for him, but they haven't 309 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 1: I guess, been successful in serving that warrant. M And 310 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 1: in the in the Belgian when they dropped their case, 311 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 1: they noted that it would be impossible and very time 312 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 1: consuming to prosecute him, which is kind of funny given 313 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 1: that he's doing a lot of crimes. But despite this, 314 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: in two thousand and three, he does this incredible piece 315 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: with The New York Times, like this thousands of words 316 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:12,400 Speaker 1: profile interview of the world's largest arm stealer. It's like 317 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 1: a relic of another era of journalism. They send this 318 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: writer all around the world to like look for Victor Boo, 319 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:24,240 Speaker 1: to try and find Victor Boole. Yeah, two thousand and three, 320 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: there was a different era that was completely different. Yeah, yeah, 321 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:31,640 Speaker 1: that is. Yeah, it's a shame. You look at I look. 322 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: I looked at it and I just couldn't help but 323 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,520 Speaker 1: being like this. But they just let this person expense 324 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:40,119 Speaker 1: a ship out of flights. Wow, like this, this doesn't 325 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:43,119 Speaker 1: happen anymore. Such a shame. I would love to go 326 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:45,400 Speaker 1: to a Russian nightclub and drink carriage juice with armed 327 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 1: stealers on the job. Yeah. Yeah, and then build that, 328 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 1: build that to the New York Times and yeah, in 329 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:58,800 Speaker 1: the PC drinks carriage Jews. He's vegetarian, he caught himself, 330 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: a scapegoat and a family man. He's what a hero? Yeah, 331 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,359 Speaker 1: he's just an everyday Joe trying to sell some collash 332 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: and egos to people who are doing genocide. And he 333 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:17,399 Speaker 1: is does this interview? How we know a lot about him? Yes? 334 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 1: That and his uh, this man loves a handicap. He 335 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: loves a home video right, international crimes the best idea 336 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:32,760 Speaker 1: we ever had. Quirky little dude. But he's not doing 337 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: crimes in his videos. He just looks like like like 338 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,040 Speaker 1: the guy from the office who is just like the 339 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,679 Speaker 1: most mundane dude and ill fitting suit. He just looks 340 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:47,640 Speaker 1: like a salary man who drives like a regular car 341 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: and on the weekends like to like go to Buffalo 342 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 1: Wild wings and what sports events. Like he goes on 343 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:57,159 Speaker 1: the water slide with his like white ass body and 344 00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: pot belly at one point in one of these firm videos, 345 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:02,879 Speaker 1: and like he just yeah, he just strikes you as 346 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: the most boring family guy, Like he's not he seems 347 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:12,720 Speaker 1: to be like morally opposed to doing drugs one point. 348 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,920 Speaker 1: It's fascinating and bizarre and one of assuming he has 349 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: children if he's a family man. I think he does 350 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,440 Speaker 1: have children, certainly has a wife. His wife is out there. 351 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: His wife is pretty vocal about let let let my 352 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:31,159 Speaker 1: man go right right, Yeah, so I'm pretty sure he 353 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,160 Speaker 1: does have children. Yeah, probably more than we know about, 354 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: but maybe not. Maybe he's your wife guy. Well, I 355 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:38,919 Speaker 1: just think it's funny in these home videos he's in 356 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: them like he's like no one else, no family. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, 357 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:51,400 Speaker 1: that would be pretty yeah, that would be pretty pretty entertaining. 358 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 1: So two thousand and three, where it's the the article 359 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 1: clearly has these two thousand and three vibes, Like it's 360 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,320 Speaker 1: named after George Bernard Shure play called Arms and the Man, 361 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 1: and it's just like epic and meandering and very long, 362 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 1: and he talks about in the article he's like, look, 363 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 1: they're using me as a scapegoat, Like this is a 364 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 1: thing that like the reason there that it's very hard 365 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: to prosecute Victor boot is because there are not that 366 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 1: many laws against arms stealing. And the reason there are 367 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:47,920 Speaker 1: not that many laws against arm stealing is because it's 368 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 1: integral to how we do foreign policy, right, Like we 369 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,879 Speaker 1: are hosed without people like Victor Boo. And that's like 370 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: the other side of this coin that yeah, we need 371 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:01,879 Speaker 1: a nickel cage bad guy to pin this stuff on. 372 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: And yeah, he he did some pretty horrific things or 373 00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:09,640 Speaker 1: sold weapons to people who did horrific things, but he 374 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: what he's doing is not that like abnormal and it's 375 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: not that always illegal, and as we'll see when the 376 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 1: US has to enter into like gross entrapment to arrest 377 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:28,439 Speaker 1: this guy. And he is right that like is he 378 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,919 Speaker 1: really the biggest arms deader in the world or is 379 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: that like Dick Cheney or you know, Lockheed Martin or 380 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: friends of the podcast Raytheon, Like is he really anymore 381 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 1: evil than like I live in San Diego, right or 382 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: most of the companies I just mentioned have offices here 383 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:47,639 Speaker 1: a road past one of them today, you know, and 384 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: those people also go on the waterside with their kids. 385 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:54,359 Speaker 1: And he does have a kid. He has a daughter, 386 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 1: one daughter or a child, I don't know, born in 387 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:04,720 Speaker 1: the Emirates and they're really are now. Yeah, he's a 388 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 1: great dad. He's been in jail for a lot of 389 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:12,160 Speaker 1: their life. Actually, yeah, he has a wife to Allah. 390 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:16,679 Speaker 1: It's his wife, just she was. She's a fair bit 391 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:21,160 Speaker 1: younger than him. Um so. Also, he's really lost weight 392 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:23,680 Speaker 1: in jail, and he's looking pretty good. Have you seen 393 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: a recent picture of him, but with a mustache and stuff, 394 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: He's really he's having a glow up, I think in jail. 395 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: Are you pretty thirsty for Victor? Here? Yeah? You look 396 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:39,560 Speaker 1: at that mustache. Tell me you could say no to that. 397 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 1: And one of the things he says in this interview, 398 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: which is interesting is if I told you everything I know, 399 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 1: I'd get the red hole right here, and then points 400 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:56,359 Speaker 1: to the middle of his forehead. I yeah, poet. He 401 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,640 Speaker 1: has a way with words. Yeah, and yeah, he's got 402 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:05,359 Speaker 1: somebody great one liners, which it's people have recently like 403 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 1: reinterpreted that to be like does he know some ship 404 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 1: about put it? Which is why Russia is so keen 405 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 1: to exchange it? Or is he just saying about like 406 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:20,359 Speaker 1: like he might possibly have something like signed by someone 407 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:22,919 Speaker 1: who's today as senator, right, like engaging in business with 408 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 1: one of his companies or something like that, because that's 409 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:29,280 Speaker 1: how this works. And so yeah, I don't know. He's 410 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:31,680 Speaker 1: rich and powerful. People have probably done business with him, 411 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 1: whether they knew it or not, and he's aware of this. 412 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: So that article really bounces him up in the sort 413 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:42,640 Speaker 1: of world bad Guys List, which is when Nick Cage 414 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:46,800 Speaker 1: steps in reads that makes a whole just there's a 415 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: whole vibe about it that moves the person to Brighton 416 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 1: beach Um because I guess American audiences don't know is 417 00:25:55,680 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 1: yeah to Gekastan no less. Uh So, if you're looking 418 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:05,160 Speaker 1: for a film the notorious Mr Boot that's the Home 419 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:10,960 Speaker 1: Videos Sundance Film Festival Award winner just depicting his dad 420 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,880 Speaker 1: bought adventures. I think I think it's worth it. You're 421 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:20,399 Speaker 1: serious it was at Sundance. Yeah, it's classic. Yeah, I'm 422 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: pretty sure they working with me. I know all the time, 423 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: and I will believe anything at this point, So that 424 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:33,760 Speaker 1: sounds crazy to me. A film YEP screen at the 425 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,639 Speaker 1: Sundance Film Festival. Holy shit, Yep. It's a classic. Um, 426 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: it's got it's got some real scenes seriously, like on 427 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: Rotten Tomatoes. Yep. And if you watch, if you watch 428 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 1: the trailer, actually you get it. There's like some pictures 429 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,879 Speaker 1: of him like dad dancing with his his partner at 430 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 1: the time. It's just yeah, it's good stuff. I would 431 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,960 Speaker 1: recommend it. And it's pictures to him around lots of weapons, 432 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: the notorious Mr Boots. Yep, yep, Mr Boots. Yeah, it's 433 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 1: a kitty. It's yeah, it's very very busy. It's just 434 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:15,159 Speaker 1: a quirky little dude. Like what what a little a 435 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 1: little dude? Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's a picture impretention, I 436 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: know what I mean. It's not like it's just do 437 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:28,359 Speaker 1: you expect him to be like evil and I don't know, 438 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: smoking in a dark room all the time. No, this 439 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,640 Speaker 1: is how they get away with it. They're quirky little dudes. Yeah. Yeah, 440 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:36,199 Speaker 1: Like you would see this guy right, like you go 441 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: to the lounge, like I've spent a decent amount of 442 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:42,119 Speaker 1: my life it lounges in like small airports in like 443 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: the Middle East, Africa whenever trying to fly cheap. You 444 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: would see this student in the lounge, and you wouldn't 445 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 1: be like, oh, there goes in international arms dealer. You'd 446 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 1: be like if that man is in U Semiconductors, you know, yeah, yeah, 447 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:04,480 Speaker 1: like he's not. He's not the joker, And no, he 448 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:06,159 Speaker 1: is a joker that you can see him having some 449 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:11,920 Speaker 1: good old japes in this film. When Nicholas Cage plays him, 450 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 1: he doesn't even have a mustache. I know that's disappointing 451 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 1: because that is his trademark feature. Well okay, okay, so 452 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:24,680 Speaker 1: technically the character Nicholas Cage plays is a fictional illegal 453 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,760 Speaker 1: arms dealer that's correct based on the stories of Victor 454 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: about and other real life arms stealers and smugglers. Okay, 455 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: they want to play both ways. Yeah, so I've just 456 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 1: got a bit in a trailer where it's just like 457 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 1: eye contact with the camera hip thrusting and it's troubling. Wow. Okay, well, 458 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:49,120 Speaker 1: thank you for that description. Alright, the cutter edge of 459 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:53,000 Speaker 1: journalism here, Yes, that's right. Alright, So we should return 460 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: to to the narrative and not my description of a 461 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: Victor Beats dancing. So, um, his arrest is kind of 462 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:05,960 Speaker 1: fascinating and again, like his arrest is one of those 463 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 1: things where you're like, oh, this is terrible, and then 464 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,800 Speaker 1: you realize that again, we do this ship all the time, right, 465 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: and so he to understand his arrest, you've got to 466 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: first understand this guy, Andrew Smoollian former, he's British, he's 467 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: born in Britain, but he's a South African Air Force officer. 468 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,960 Speaker 1: Then he goes into commercial flying, but at some point 469 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 1: he's turned by their intelligence agency. So he's delivering shipments 470 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:33,840 Speaker 1: of stuff and then doing a little bit spying on 471 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 1: the side. Spying on the side. Yeah, yeah, who's the 472 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: one hasn't found themselves doing a little Everyone has their 473 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: side hustles they decide spying for the I don't know 474 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 1: if he was doing in the apartheid era, but probably 475 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 1: we're certainly in their military in the Aparthei era. Yikes. Yeah, 476 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: smoothly is not not a man with morals, I don't think, 477 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,960 Speaker 1: as we'll find out. So Smoolean has fallen on hard 478 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: times by two thousand and seven and is working in 479 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: a hypodermic syringe factory in Tanzania. And that's just the 480 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 1: fact that I found without context, and I haven't felt 481 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:16,480 Speaker 1: any need to research further. And at that point. Slowly, 482 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:23,000 Speaker 1: it's contacted by two fuck generals right revolutionary Enforces Columbia 483 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:27,840 Speaker 1: fuck right left wing Marxist guerrilla group that have been 484 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: fighting in the Jungles for I think they're one of 485 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:37,120 Speaker 1: the world's longest insurgencies for decades. So these fuck generals 486 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 1: are like, hey, Smolian, come and meet us in a 487 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 1: tiki bar in curis out and we will have a chat. Smolean, right, 488 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 1: he wants to get out the syringe factory, so he's 489 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:51,920 Speaker 1: got about it up on it. He hops on the 490 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 1: plane and they meet in a tiki bar, right, which 491 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 1: is obviously a good place to do at Armstel there. 492 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: I mean, movies are right about that. Then a lot 493 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:05,120 Speaker 1: of stuff going down. Yep, that's a That's the one 494 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 1: thing that was factually correct in the whole Cinematic University 495 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 1: Victor boot. So they're in the tiki bart right now. 496 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,400 Speaker 1: It should be noted that these two farn generals, shockingly 497 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:19,480 Speaker 1: are not really fun generals. They are d e A assets. 498 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 1: In fact, they have been high ranking offices in the 499 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: Colombian Armed Forces, but they've decided to pivot to a 500 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:31,120 Speaker 1: career in selling cocaine, and in that career pivot. They've 501 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,520 Speaker 1: unfortunately come into contact with the d A, which is 502 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 1: generally not good. Yeah right, they're just trying to sell 503 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,440 Speaker 1: cocaine and do war crimes against Yeah. Yeah, they're just 504 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,880 Speaker 1: vibing and killing indigenous people. Probably. They have a pretty 505 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 1: rough record in the Columbian military. It's fair to say, 506 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 1: Uh so d A C. Seven is like, yet those 507 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:53,200 Speaker 1: are our people, and gives them a ton of money, 508 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:57,440 Speaker 1: citizenship embassy for their families, I believe, and turns them right. 509 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:00,800 Speaker 1: Asked him to pretend to be funk generals, which they're like, yeah, 510 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 1: can you can you spell the word you're saying? What 511 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:12,840 Speaker 1: is the Yeah? A smatters Revolution Colombia. Thank you? Yeah, 512 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:16,560 Speaker 1: Like sorry, f A R C. Fuck. I might have 513 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 1: got the act I am. I am someone that does 514 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: not know what that is. So you will be honest 515 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,800 Speaker 1: about that. Sorry. You know, there's no reason to unless 516 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: you're like a, I don't know a global conflict to 517 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: understand the slash doc. They're very nice people, some of them. Actually, Um, 518 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 1: they've started micro brewery. Now, yeah, they have a micro brewery. 519 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:41,720 Speaker 1: Anything you say they're fucking I will send you a 520 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:45,120 Speaker 1: story I wrote on their micro brewery. Unlike Scarred by Robert. 521 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:47,840 Speaker 1: He just tells me all these crazy things that are 522 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:50,400 Speaker 1: not true what I believe. I'm not like Robert. I'm 523 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,720 Speaker 1: a man of the truth. I'm gonna I would drop 524 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 1: it in the chat, like, yeah, they definitely have started 525 00:32:55,680 --> 00:33:02,880 Speaker 1: a micro brewery. These are such a weird little dudes saying, Okay, 526 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 1: actually the person who runs a micro brewery is a woman. 527 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 1: Uh good, good for her feminism. We love a girl. Yeah, 528 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:16,400 Speaker 1: they love a girl. Bus a funk. We're very committed 529 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: to dender quality. They had women there in their in 530 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:22,640 Speaker 1: their military. Yeah, we'll do an episode of Robert and 531 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:24,960 Speaker 1: I want to go to their micro brewery. It's one 532 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 1: of my why not sure we've we've got this far. 533 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:51,080 Speaker 1: No one's caught us up. Yeah. So anyway, Interestingly, the 534 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:56,080 Speaker 1: US government had just done exactly the same thing to Monzerlkassa, 535 00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:59,360 Speaker 1: who's a Syrian arms dealer. They've done the same we're 536 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:02,160 Speaker 1: too far to generals, we would like to buy these weapons, 537 00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:07,360 Speaker 1: and in the discussion the quote unquote fuck generals are like, 538 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:10,759 Speaker 1: we would like to buy these weapons to kill Yankees. 539 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: We want to kill Americans. It would be great to 540 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 1: have this gun with a sniper scope so we could 541 00:34:16,120 --> 00:34:19,560 Speaker 1: see if they're American before we shoot them. Just like 542 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:22,320 Speaker 1: this is where this is where we get to like 543 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:24,640 Speaker 1: the entrapment, right, and this Rellian is like, yeah, whatever, bro, 544 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:27,399 Speaker 1: like you want guns? I know a guy and they're 545 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 1: like to kill the Americans. So and he's like whatever 546 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:35,719 Speaker 1: you need. Okay, it's getting weird, um. But then smoolelyan 547 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:38,960 Speaker 1: master of stealth that he is, goes, okay, so my 548 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:42,480 Speaker 1: guy's Victor boot v I K T O R B 549 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:47,200 Speaker 1: O U T. Oh my god, that is that is 550 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:52,319 Speaker 1: a poor move and Smoothy's part, So Smoothy drops a minute. 551 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:56,240 Speaker 1: They organize a meeting, right the two generals quote unquote 552 00:34:56,239 --> 00:35:03,080 Speaker 1: generals and Victor in a hotel Bangkok, and that is 553 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:07,279 Speaker 1: where the Victor Boots story sort of ends, at least 554 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:10,960 Speaker 1: the free Victor Boots story ends. So they go through 555 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:15,279 Speaker 1: the deal and again he's being like, I can't believe 556 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: he conducted his whole life like this because his his 557 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:21,120 Speaker 1: degree of concern with security is minimal. That he'll be like, 558 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,480 Speaker 1: you guys are getting like five thousand a K forty 559 00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: seven's also some surface to wear missiles and like writing 560 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:33,360 Speaker 1: it on the hotel notepad. Amazing. Yeah, like normally this 561 00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:37,960 Speaker 1: isn't the Like the d A rolled a yakuza arms 562 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: dealer recently and they had to explain in court that 563 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:42,840 Speaker 1: like when he was talking about cake and ice cream, 564 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:49,359 Speaker 1: he meant like surface to wear missiles. The same for me. Actually, yeah, 565 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:52,759 Speaker 1: I'm just going to head down to the cake shop. 566 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:56,320 Speaker 1: That guy funked up by sending a selfie of himself 567 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:59,720 Speaker 1: with an anti tank weapon to the Jesus Christ. Yeah, 568 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:04,040 Speaker 1: it's good. It's a good picture. I'll send you that picture. 569 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:08,400 Speaker 1: Because he does look like an international supervillain. He has 570 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,319 Speaker 1: blue aviators. I think, like, oh my gosh, some people 571 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,680 Speaker 1: know they're playing the part, you know what I mean, Yeah, 572 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 1: you gotta lean in, and he leans in. But so 573 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:22,440 Speaker 1: about is in this in this room where he's negotiating 574 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:27,480 Speaker 1: with his two Colombian friends and income the Taype police. Right, 575 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:31,160 Speaker 1: It's interesting the way the d A say it. They're like, 576 00:36:31,719 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 1: he put his hands in the bag and we all 577 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:36,479 Speaker 1: pointed our guns at him, or like Victor, no, it's over, 578 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:39,120 Speaker 1: and and like they thought he was going to pull 579 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:40,840 Speaker 1: a gun on them, but like in the video he 580 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:45,560 Speaker 1: kind of is just like and then he goes. I 581 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:47,279 Speaker 1: think he says the game is up. He has some 582 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:51,880 Speaker 1: like Bond villain like a line of course, is he 583 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:57,160 Speaker 1: the poet? What did I say? Yeah, yeah, that's why 584 00:36:57,200 --> 00:37:00,920 Speaker 1: that they're letting him out for his contribution to do. 585 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:04,160 Speaker 1: What if there's ever like an obituary I want he 586 00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:10,560 Speaker 1: was a poet, sharide just like he yes, quotely on 587 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:14,840 Speaker 1: that sure acclaimed podcast, this is Red Dart to describe 588 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:21,279 Speaker 1: a gunshot on his grooms. He was the poet, nothing else, 589 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:26,160 Speaker 1: poet and no other gigs. I was aware of what 590 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 1: sliding dutist. And so they arrest him, right, They hold 591 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:33,960 Speaker 1: him in Thailand for a while. He fights the extradition. 592 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:35,920 Speaker 1: He's like, I'm just a businessman. I don't know what 593 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,440 Speaker 1: you're talking about. I just wanted to sell your cake 594 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:42,880 Speaker 1: and ice cream or whatever. And eventually they bring him 595 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:44,880 Speaker 1: back to the United States. They try him in this 596 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:48,040 Speaker 1: federal jurisdiction in New York, where they try nearly every 597 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:51,880 Speaker 1: big terrorism case like this, right, like the recent oh 598 00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:55,680 Speaker 1: nine A case was in the same jurisdiction, so like 599 00:37:56,120 --> 00:37:58,799 Speaker 1: that makes sense. Yeah, they always do it in New York. 600 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:02,719 Speaker 1: I think they His trial was like September or October, 601 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:08,800 Speaker 1: like in the you know, you're trying someone like seven 602 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:11,800 Speaker 1: years after nine eleven, six years after nine eleven in 603 00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:16,560 Speaker 1: New York, around the anniversary of what happened eleven, right, 604 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 1: so people are pretty and then you're like in this 605 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:21,800 Speaker 1: dude sold weapons to the Taliban, and he moved gold 606 00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:25,320 Speaker 1: out of Afghanistan for al Quaeda, and he's pretty screwed. 607 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:30,840 Speaker 1: Cancel culture strikes again. Yeah, the work mob came for Victor, 608 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:35,680 Speaker 1: and his wife says outside the court, which I thought 609 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:39,280 Speaker 1: was interesting that they're trying Nicolas Cage not my husband. 610 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: Oh ship, that's actually a really interesting statement in terms 611 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:48,439 Speaker 1: of like media perceptions of people. I agree with that. Yeah, 612 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:52,200 Speaker 1: they do not go after this guy until the New 613 00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:55,480 Speaker 1: York Times and then Victor and then what's it called 614 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:59,040 Speaker 1: the Nicolas Cage movie, Lord of War? Yeah, and then 615 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:03,360 Speaker 1: you can't separate. I don't think the like, look, he's 616 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,600 Speaker 1: a piece of shit, but like he did make a 617 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:09,040 Speaker 1: movie about himself, though he didn't make that. No, someone 618 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:11,839 Speaker 1: else got that. They already sent like seven years after 619 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:15,080 Speaker 1: he gone down. Okay, I didn't look at the date that. Yeah, 620 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:19,120 Speaker 1: I was like, that's why I was imagining to get 621 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 1: completely different up until just this second. My mistake the 622 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:32,000 Speaker 1: Sundance film was yeah, like seven seven years later, Victor Boots, 623 00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:36,480 Speaker 1: it would have been amazing if yeah, get that up 624 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 1: with our listeners, ship, we could get it up to 625 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:42,440 Speaker 1: the nineties. I reckon m getting there the thumbs up. 626 00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:46,880 Speaker 1: So I think they probably did write Like in organizations 627 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:50,440 Speaker 1: like the d A, in these big federal law enforcement agencies, 628 00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:52,280 Speaker 1: there are a lot of people who want top jobs, 629 00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:55,120 Speaker 1: and I think one of the ways to advance is 630 00:39:55,239 --> 00:39:58,719 Speaker 1: getting one of these big busts. Right. I have very 631 00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:02,640 Speaker 1: little federal law enforcement understanding, but it strikes me that 632 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,840 Speaker 1: they kind of they had the d A agent in 633 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,680 Speaker 1: charge of his arrest on ABC I think or in 634 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:12,080 Speaker 1: sixty minutes or something, the guy talks about himself in 635 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,080 Speaker 1: the third person one point on there. It's a bit weird. 636 00:40:18,719 --> 00:40:22,000 Speaker 1: It's clearly like a career defining a thing, right, And 637 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:24,040 Speaker 1: I really don't think it would have been if like 638 00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:26,719 Speaker 1: no one made a film about Monterroel Castle, right, he 639 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 1: was selling all the weapons too, and they didn't you know, 640 00:40:29,719 --> 00:40:31,560 Speaker 1: they didn't trap him in the same way. Actually, but 641 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:36,799 Speaker 1: it's it's not such a big thing. So Boot goes 642 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:39,839 Speaker 1: to jail, he's been in jail about twelve years now, 643 00:40:40,239 --> 00:40:44,719 Speaker 1: and now the Biden administration seems to want rid of 644 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:48,080 Speaker 1: him or at least know that he's like worth offering. 645 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:53,160 Speaker 1: And they offered him in trade for Snowdon apparently, uh yeah, 646 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:57,520 Speaker 1: and Russia didn't take that. Um. I think it's probably 647 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:03,239 Speaker 1: that they see more value in Snowden. But the yeah, 648 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:05,360 Speaker 1: they seem to have offered him again in the in 649 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:10,200 Speaker 1: this grinder wheeling trade. It's still unclear if Russia will 650 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:12,759 Speaker 1: accept him or not. Like we said before, it's a 651 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:17,000 Speaker 1: very weird practice to be like like Pokemon cards, Yeah, 652 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:21,080 Speaker 1: are like literally like the NBA, like the thing that yeah, 653 00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:23,560 Speaker 1: pretty greater works for. It's like you're literally creating like 654 00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:28,799 Speaker 1: a fantasy team or whatever, the ship of of prisoners 655 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:32,520 Speaker 1: and or people that you want the hostages. Yeah, And 656 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:36,440 Speaker 1: it's it's interesting to see like Russia kind of just 657 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:39,680 Speaker 1: like I don't know if they sort of want to 658 00:41:39,719 --> 00:41:41,640 Speaker 1: be like, look how much we owned you, Like we 659 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,800 Speaker 1: made you trade the world's most notorious arms dealer for 660 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:48,799 Speaker 1: a basketball player, Like if they if they just see 661 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:52,200 Speaker 1: the kind of uh, I don't know, the ridiculousness of 662 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:56,440 Speaker 1: what they've done to somehow win for them, or if 663 00:41:56,560 --> 00:41:58,759 Speaker 1: Russia wants him back because he has some kind of 664 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:02,160 Speaker 1: intel that they're afraid of. I'm not sure if that's 665 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:04,160 Speaker 1: the case. He lived in Moscow for a while, but 666 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:07,480 Speaker 1: he I didn't know how close he was to the 667 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:11,040 Speaker 1: Russian state. I'm sure he knows some stuff. It's almost 668 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:13,120 Speaker 1: does not much of a state in the world that 669 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:16,600 Speaker 1: he doesn't have something on, right, So it's possible, And 670 00:42:17,840 --> 00:42:21,120 Speaker 1: I guess he's kind of served his purpose to United States, 671 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:23,800 Speaker 1: which was just like, you know, we can find you anywhere, 672 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:27,200 Speaker 1: we can come after you anywhere. Um, we can arrestue 673 00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:31,280 Speaker 1: And I don't want to be like like pro armed 674 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:35,319 Speaker 1: dealer on the podcast, but like on the podcast, off 675 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:42,279 Speaker 1: the podcast, completely different, Unlike James is gonna say that 676 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:47,200 Speaker 1: we're not technically pro arms stealing. This is not not 677 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:50,440 Speaker 1: a pro stealing podcast. Technically, Yeah, that would be a 678 00:42:50,440 --> 00:42:52,960 Speaker 1: good place for an ad pivot, wouldn't it. But do 679 00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:57,160 Speaker 1: you know who is pro stealing? Yeah, based on I 680 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:00,359 Speaker 1: don't know how long we have left though and mix here, 681 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:03,320 Speaker 1: but we can leave the joke in prove that we're funny, 682 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:08,160 Speaker 1: yeah exactly, that we sometimes think about the Yeah, yeah, yeah, 683 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:12,759 Speaker 1: we're considerate and funny y yeah, and kind and not 684 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:17,080 Speaker 1: pro arms dealer and most apportantly Yeah. Yeah. So Victor 685 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:20,680 Speaker 1: is in prison. He's been in prison for about twelve years. 686 00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:24,320 Speaker 1: He's got he got twenty five years. The judge actually 687 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:26,800 Speaker 1: was like, like, you've not proved he was going to 688 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:29,000 Speaker 1: do any crimes other than the ones you kind of 689 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:34,239 Speaker 1: talked him into, like a fair Yeah. Yeah, it woke 690 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:39,279 Speaker 1: judge because again, when they're meeting him, they're like, we 691 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:41,560 Speaker 1: want to kill Americans. Can you make sure the scopes 692 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:43,680 Speaker 1: a high enough magnification so we can see their Americans. 693 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:46,759 Speaker 1: There's some specific dialogue about the sniper scopes to like 694 00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:50,160 Speaker 1: to to ensure and they they're trying to get surface 695 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:52,040 Speaker 1: to our missiles as well, right, and surface to our 696 00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:54,320 Speaker 1: missiles one of the harder things to acquire in the 697 00:43:54,360 --> 00:43:58,920 Speaker 1: international arms market. And so he's gonna supply those. And 698 00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:01,239 Speaker 1: they claim they're going to shoot down Arican airliners and 699 00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:05,279 Speaker 1: do a terrorism. Yeah, that'll definitely get them mad. Yeah, 700 00:44:05,840 --> 00:44:09,120 Speaker 1: they're again, well, but he only says that because the 701 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:13,640 Speaker 1: two d a plants. Yeah, yeah, I don't think the 702 00:44:13,719 --> 00:44:16,440 Speaker 1: dude would a bat nihilid either way. I mean, typical 703 00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:20,480 Speaker 1: fed behavior right, Like, Yeah, they walked in there in 704 00:44:20,560 --> 00:44:24,560 Speaker 1: the cool flannel shirts and he did Hey, who is 705 00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:29,640 Speaker 1: excelled the doing crime. I don't want to do a crime. 706 00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:33,880 Speaker 1: Let me escalate the level of crime. So he's in prison. 707 00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:37,600 Speaker 1: They've offered to trade him. It remains to be seen, Like, 708 00:44:38,040 --> 00:44:39,480 Speaker 1: I don't know how relevant he will be if he 709 00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:42,080 Speaker 1: comes out. It's interesting, Like the area I'm most familiar 710 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:50,600 Speaker 1: with off the books firearms transactions is in Myanmar, right, Robert, Now, 711 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 1: I've spent some time writing about that, and the price 712 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:57,320 Speaker 1: of weapons going small arms going two rebels in Miama 713 00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:02,560 Speaker 1: is insane right now, Like, it's incredibly high. And so 714 00:45:02,760 --> 00:45:05,279 Speaker 1: maybe taking him out has changed that market a bit. 715 00:45:05,320 --> 00:45:07,040 Speaker 1: I don't know. You'd think someone would have stepped in 716 00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:09,960 Speaker 1: to fill that gap in the time that he'd been 717 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:13,800 Speaker 1: out of the game. You'd think, especially after the giant 718 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,080 Speaker 1: clusterfucker of leaving Afghanistan by the States a year ago, 719 00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:19,040 Speaker 1: we'd have done a lot more weapons onto the market. 720 00:45:19,640 --> 00:45:22,480 Speaker 1: So what you're saying is there's a job opening. Yeah, 721 00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:29,080 Speaker 1: get your resume ready, listeners, Yeah, you know, learn those languages. 722 00:45:29,239 --> 00:45:34,000 Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying to the other applicants. Yeah, yeah, 723 00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:36,640 Speaker 1: learned sanscrit. But on your resume, no one will call 724 00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:38,920 Speaker 1: you on it. It'll be fine. It's okay to lie 725 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:42,040 Speaker 1: about Sanskrit unless you're, I guess, going to theological college. 726 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:45,120 Speaker 1: But yeah, he's learned Sanskrit, he's learned a bunch of 727 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:48,000 Speaker 1: other languages in prison. He's probably writing poems in there 728 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:52,400 Speaker 1: right now. Yeah, he's probably dropping a book, is what 729 00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:54,960 Speaker 1: he'll do, or come out we'll drop a book. Honestly, 730 00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:56,920 Speaker 1: I'm not I wouldn't be surprised by that if that 731 00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:59,719 Speaker 1: was true. I read a book written by one of 732 00:45:59,800 --> 00:46:04,800 Speaker 1: the world's most famous international arms dealers. Add poets, and 733 00:46:05,640 --> 00:46:09,120 Speaker 1: that's right, add poets. Hey, based on what the quotes 734 00:46:09,160 --> 00:46:11,759 Speaker 1: are that he's given so far, I'm sure he has 735 00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:17,919 Speaker 1: really good writing. So yeah, yeah, who knows. We don't 736 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:20,080 Speaker 1: know how much money he has. No one seems it 737 00:46:20,120 --> 00:46:21,800 Speaker 1: doesn't seem very clear. He's done a good job of 738 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:26,080 Speaker 1: hiding it. We don't know what the state of his businesses. 739 00:46:26,160 --> 00:46:29,839 Speaker 1: It seems like he has just kind of pieced out 740 00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:33,640 Speaker 1: hang Out and Joe and maybe now we'll be going 741 00:46:33,680 --> 00:46:35,800 Speaker 1: back to Russia to live in his dacha and just 742 00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:39,520 Speaker 1: write poetry and going water slides all day we can dream. 743 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:43,760 Speaker 1: It feels like, yeah, if they offered him for Snowden 744 00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:47,359 Speaker 1: already and now they're offering him again, is he he's 745 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:52,800 Speaker 1: either the only like quote unquote good Russian hostage, like 746 00:46:52,960 --> 00:46:58,000 Speaker 1: worth worthy Russian hostage or they In my head, I 747 00:46:58,040 --> 00:46:59,840 Speaker 1: feel like they're trying to make a big statement like 748 00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:02,839 Speaker 1: Brittany Grinder is so important to us here you could 749 00:47:02,880 --> 00:47:06,359 Speaker 1: have this man. That makes sense? Yeah, it does, Yeah, 750 00:47:06,719 --> 00:47:09,880 Speaker 1: I hope. I mean, look, what's happening to her is disgusting, right, 751 00:47:09,920 --> 00:47:15,439 Speaker 1: and every day she spent abhorrent and so like, yeah, 752 00:47:15,560 --> 00:47:18,319 Speaker 1: you hope that that they I think, Yeah, I think 753 00:47:18,360 --> 00:47:21,759 Speaker 1: he's he's a big name and there's no real I 754 00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:23,480 Speaker 1: don't know, it doesn't really serve the interests of the 755 00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:25,920 Speaker 1: state to keep him in prison, right, Like the big 756 00:47:26,239 --> 00:47:28,960 Speaker 1: win was getting him there, and that I think showed 757 00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:31,480 Speaker 1: people doing what he does that like the US will 758 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:35,080 Speaker 1: come after you and and so like that was what 759 00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:38,120 Speaker 1: they wanted. Really, I think twelve years is a long 760 00:47:38,239 --> 00:47:42,200 Speaker 1: enough time, you know, Like so I don't know, I 761 00:47:42,400 --> 00:47:48,080 Speaker 1: don't understand the motivations of world leaders. But hopefully we 762 00:47:48,239 --> 00:47:50,400 Speaker 1: get up this, I don't know, Hopefully Brittany grinded doesn't 763 00:47:50,440 --> 00:47:52,840 Speaker 1: have to spend any longer in what I'm sure it 764 00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:55,759 Speaker 1: is a pretty terrible Russian prison for having a vape pen, 765 00:47:55,920 --> 00:48:00,160 Speaker 1: because that is bollocks. And I just want to say 766 00:48:00,239 --> 00:48:02,040 Speaker 1: before we finish up here that we are indebted to 767 00:48:02,080 --> 00:48:07,600 Speaker 1: our friend Matt, who is at I think black Flag 768 00:48:07,719 --> 00:48:12,120 Speaker 1: Enjoyer on Twitter or raccoon Liberation Front Black Flag Enjoyers 769 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:15,800 Speaker 1: Matt's Handel. Matt actually came on to help us do 770 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:18,279 Speaker 1: an interview with this. Matt has worked in a lot 771 00:48:18,320 --> 00:48:20,640 Speaker 1: of these places, not as an arms dealer, I should add, 772 00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:25,080 Speaker 1: but doing some like civil engineering, and even thinks that 773 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:28,040 Speaker 1: he ran into Victor Boot in a bar in Somali 774 00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:30,640 Speaker 1: land once and because if we discussed you would not 775 00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:34,400 Speaker 1: know that the student was an arms dealer. Unfortunately, Matt's 776 00:48:34,440 --> 00:48:40,200 Speaker 1: audio was unrecoverable and so we were very much debt 777 00:48:40,360 --> 00:48:43,240 Speaker 1: for his help. And you should follow him on Twitter 778 00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:49,360 Speaker 1: if you want to anything else. We should plug Sharine Garrison. 779 00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:52,560 Speaker 1: Now I think I think that doesn't for us today, 780 00:48:52,920 --> 00:48:57,320 Speaker 1: so just google Victor Boot poetry. Enjoy your weekend.