One of the world’s top arms dealers was arrested Thursday in Bangkok being accused of having supplied Colombian rebels with arms and explosives, Thai police said.

“We can confirm he has been arrested in Bangkok, and we congratulate the Thai authorities on making this arrest,” said Cynthia Brown, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman.

Viktor Bout, 41, with Russian citizenship, is a former Russian air force officer, who is believed to have made millions of dollars from delivering weapons and ammunitions to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He is said to have the largest fleet of surplus Soviet-era cargo aircraft in the world, about 40 planes.

Although some of his activities have been legitimate, he has been also involved in many illegal activities.

The police said that Bout had been arrested at noon at the Silom Sofitel Hotel, after a warrant was issued by a Thai court. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had previously issued a warrant on his name. Bout was charged of “procuring weapons and explosives for Colombian rebels” known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, Police Col. Petcharat Sengchai told reporters.

In a 2005 report of Amnesty International, the Russian arms dealer was called “the most prominent foreign businessman” who has been trafficking weapons to countries that are embargoed by the United Nations, such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and others. The report also states the fact that Bout transported “very large quantities of arms” from Ukraine to Uganda via Tanzania.

Moreover, British intelligence officials presented evidence stating that Bout had shipped weapons to the Taliban and al Qaeda, and also that he had allegedly shipped weapons technology into Iraq.

In an interview with CNN in 2002, Bout denied having sold arms to the Taliban or al Qaeda. He added that he has never shipped weapons technology to Iraq.

Bout was said to have inspired Nicholas Cage’s character in the movie “Lord of War.”

Viktor Bout is being held in the offices of the Crime Suppression Division. He had been in Thailand since January, the New York Times reports. He was arrested during a meeting with someone from Russia or Eastern Europe.

Brian Johnson-Thomas, an arms trafficking researcher in Britain, said that Bout has been selling arms to the FARC for at least one year. Most of the arms were AK-47, rocket-propelled grenades and possibly surface-to-air missiles. The arms were shipped to the FARC via Paraguay by planes. The planes “don’t return empty,” Johnson-Thomas said. They return to Africa transporting drugs, which are subsequently shipped into Europe.