What happened to most of Saddam’s blinged-out weapons

Eric Milzarski
Updated onDec 15, 2022 5:23 AM PST
2 minute read
Army photo

SUMMARY

It’s no surprise that psychotic despots and drug lords who came to power through violence and intimidation would be fascinated with gold-…

It's no surprise that psychotic despots and drug lords who came to power through violence and intimidation would be fascinated with gold-plated and diamond-encrusted weapons. The most well-known collector was Saddam Hussein.

After his fall, his weapons seemed to be scattered in every direction. Exactly how many weapons were in Saddam's arsenal is not public knowledge, so it's unclear how many have just "fallen off the books" throughout the years. The ones that have been accounted for, however, are often placed in museums and presidential libraries around the world as historical artifacts.

One of his most famous golden weapons was the golden Tabuk, an Iraqi variant of the AK-47. Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division discovered it near Kirkuk, in northern Iraq. The weapon was given as an official "thank you" to the Australian troops that helped them in the area. The weapon traded hands a few times before Australia's Deputy Chief of Army, Major General John Cantwell, accepted it and placed it in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in 2007.

(Australian War Memorial)

You might wonder why more weapons weren't taken as trophies by troops in Iraq. Well, having weapons that are not cleared and are without their paperwork properly done breaks countless UCMJ, Interpol, UN, and Geneva Convention laws. Getting the proper rights to take home war trophies may be a headache, but it's not impossible. This hasn't stopped idiots from becoming war criminals in pursuit of riches, though.

In 2014, two men from New Jersey were caught in a sting by the FBI trying to sell over $1 million worth of Hussein-family weapons. Later that same year, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Joel Miller had his conviction overturned after being framed and sentenced for smuggling home a chrome-plated AK variant in 2005. As it turns out, another Marine had planted the weapon on him after Miller threatened to expose his affair. Nonetheless, he was still given a bad conduct discharge after serving 20 years in the Marine Corps.

 

As much hell as this AK variant caused this Marine, it's whereabouts are still unknown after it was seized by the Hemet, CA Police Department. (Hemet Police Department)

But at least two of Saddam's weapons have been known to make their way to auction legally. The M77 rifle that Saddam Hussein held during a 2000 military parade was given to an unnamed agent after 29 years of service to the CIA. Although it wasn't flashy like the rest of Saddam's armory, it still put up and sold at auction for $48,875.

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