Viktor Bout, the 'Merchant of Death,' discusses exchange with Brittney Griner, says he wished her 'good luck'

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Brittney Griner spent roughly 10 months in a Russian prison before the United States brought her home in exchange for Viktor Bout.

Bout is a convicted Russian arms dealer who was serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison after he was convicted of conspiracy to kill Americans relating to the support of a Colombian terrorist organization.

He was nicknamed the "Merchant of Death" because of his notoriety for running a fleet of aging Soviet-era cargo planes to conflict-ridden hotspots in Africa. And his life inspired the Nicolas Cage film "Lord of War."

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Viktor Bout, left, a suspected Russian arms dealer, in court in Bangkok Aug. 20, 2010, and WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner, right, in a courtroom prior to a hearing in Khimki, outside of Moscow, Russia, July 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong, left, and Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

The swap outraged some Americans who argued the United States gave up way too much in exchange for the WNBA star. Griner had been ridiculed for saying the national anthem should not be played before sporting events, but she has since changed her stance.

American officials, most notably President Biden, were also criticized for not including in the exchange Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine convicted of espionage charges he says are false. He is serving a 16-year sentence.

Many Americans also thought Griner's nine-year jail sentence for drug charges was way too harsh.

Bout compared his sentence in the U.S. to Griner's sentence in his homeland, saying it was "the same outrage … in Russia when I was sentenced to 25 years."

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