The United States expects that a suspected Russian arms dealer held in Thailand will soon be extradited to face charges in a US court. A major obstacle to Viktor Bout's extradition was removed earlier this week when a Thai court dropped money laundering and wire fraud charges against him, dpa reported. "We look forward to his transport to the United States soon," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said. The Thai court ruled Tuesday that there was not enough evidence against Bout for the criminal case in Thailand to proceed. Thai authorities arrested Bout in Bangkok in 2008 with the assistance of the United States. The Russian government has opposed extradition, saying Bout has been unfairly persecuted. But US authorities insist he is a kingpin in the illegal international arms trade. Bout, 43, a former Soviet air force officer, denied allegations that he supplied illegal arms to buyers in Africa, South America and the Middle East. His arrest was the climax of a US-orchestrated sting operation using US agents posing as weapons buyers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which Washington lists as a terrorist organization.
