He offered to illegally obtain firearms using government ties for a 2 percent commission.
Across continents and through layers of forged paperwork, a former Ugandan military officer allegedly helped channel an arsenal of military-grade weapons toward one of Mexico's most violent criminal organizations. Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, once entrusted with diplomatic and security roles on behalf of Uganda and the African Union, was arrested in Kampala and now faces extradition to the United States, where a federal indictment charges him with participating in a $58 million arms conspiracy. His case joins a long human story about the corruption of institutional trust — how the credentials of legitimate authority can be turned, for a commission, into instruments of mass harm.
- A four-man network spanning Uganda, Bulgaria, Kenya, and Tanzania allegedly spent years routing military-grade weapons — rocket launchers, anti-aircraft systems, sniper rifles — to a cartel the U.S. now classifies as a foreign terrorist organization.
- Katungi's alleged leverage was access itself: diplomatic titles, government contacts, and the ability to produce falsified End-User Certificates that made cartel-bound shipments look like routine military transfers.
- Three co-conspirators were already extradited from Spain, Morocco, and Ghana before Katungi's arrest in Kampala brought the final piece of the alleged network into custody.
- The U.S. designation of CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in early 2025 escalated the charges, adding material support for terrorism to counts already involving cocaine distribution and firearms trafficking.
- With a mandatory minimum of ten years and life imprisonment possible, prosecutors are also pursuing forfeiture of all assets tied to the scheme, including a shipping container of AK-47-style rifles already in their possession.
On a Saturday afternoon in Kampala, Michael Katungi Mpeirwe — a former officer in Uganda's military and one-time Deputy Head of Mission at Uganda's High Commission — was arrested and held at the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters. By Sunday, Ugandan and American officials were already working through the mechanics of extradition.
A federal indictment filed in Virginia describes a conspiracy that began in September 2022, when Katungi and three associates allegedly began coordinating weapons shipments to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, known as CJNG. The alleged arsenal was vast: machine guns, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft systems, sniper rifles, grenades, and night-vision equipment — valued at $58 million in total. To conceal the true destination, the conspirators allegedly used forged documentation, including a shipment of 50 AK-47s falsely certified as bound for the Tanzanian military. Payments moved through Kenyan and Bulgarian bank accounts across three separate transactions.
Katungi's alleged contribution was institutional access. At a London meeting in April 2024, he reportedly offered to obtain firearms illegally and use his government connections to secure the necessary paperwork — all for a 2 percent commission. The weapons list discussed that day was staggering: roughly 53.7 million euros' worth of arms, including drones, RPG launchers, and ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns.
His three co-conspirators — a Bulgarian arms dealer, a Kenyan, and a Tanzanian — had already been extradited from Spain, Morocco, and Ghana respectively. Katungi had remained at large until now. The U.S. designation of CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in February 2025 added a third charge to the indictment: conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization. All four men face a mandatory minimum of ten years, with life imprisonment possible. Prosecutors are also seeking forfeiture of all connected assets, including a shipping container of AK-47-style rifles already seized. The indictment remains an allegation; all accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, a former officer in Uganda's military, was arrested on a Saturday afternoon and held at the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters in Kampala by Sunday morning. The arrest came as part of a sprawling international weapons-smuggling investigation that U.S. authorities say involved funneling military-grade arms to one of Mexico's deadliest criminal organizations. Ugandan and American officials were already working through the mechanics of his extradition.
The indictment, filed in federal court in Virginia, paints a picture of a sophisticated conspiracy that stretched across continents. Katungi worked alongside three other men: Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, a Bulgarian arms dealer; Elisha Odhiambo Asumo, a Kenyan; and Subiro Osmund Mwapinga, from Tanzania. Prosecutors say that beginning in September 2022, these four men coordinated to supply weapons to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG—a Mexican criminal enterprise known for extreme violence. The alleged value of the conspiracy: $58 million.
The weapons themselves read like an inventory from a military arsenal. Machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, night-vision goggles, sniper rifles, anti-personnel mines, and anti-aircraft systems. The indictment describes how the conspirators allegedly used forged paperwork to hide where these weapons were actually going. One shipment of 50 AK-47 rifles, for instance, was documented as destined for the Tanzanian military when investigators say it was bound for CJNG instead. The financial trail showed payments moving through Kenyan and Bulgarian bank accounts—$5,000 in October 2022, $30,000 in December 2022, and nearly $38,000 in November 2023.
Katungi's role, according to prosecutors, was to leverage his connections. He had served as Deputy Head of Mission at Uganda's High Commission and as a security logistics officer with the African Union Commission. In April 2024, he allegedly attended a meeting in London where he offered to illegally obtain firearms and claimed he could use his government ties to secure the necessary documentation—all for a 2 percent commission. The proposed weapons list that emerged from these discussions was staggering: roughly 53.7 million euros' worth of arms, including AK-47s, machine guns, RPG launchers, sniper rifles, drones, anti-drone systems, and ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns capable of targeting low-flying aircraft and helicopters.
Three of the four accused men have already been extradited. Mirchev came from Spain, Asumo from Morocco, and Mwapinga from Ghana. Katungi had been considered at large until his arrest in Uganda. The U.S. government designated CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in February 2025, which added a third count to the charges: conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The other two counts involve conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
If convicted, all four men face a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison, with life imprisonment as a possibility. Prosecutors are also seeking to seize all proceeds, assets, and weapons connected to the alleged scheme. Among the items already seized: a shipping container holding approximately 50 AK-47-style rifles, magazines, and ammunition. The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration's Special Operations Division, with two Assistant U.S. Attorneys handling the prosecution. The indictment remains an allegation, and Katungi and his co-accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Citas Notables
Katungi allegedly offered to illegally obtain firearms for future sale to CJNG and claimed he could use connections in Africa and the Ugandan government to obtain arms documents in exchange for a 2 percent commission.— U.S. prosecutors, based on court records from April 2024 London meeting
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How does someone in Katungi's position—a former military officer with government credentials—end up in a weapons conspiracy?
His credentials were the whole point. He had legitimate access to the paperwork and the connections needed to make illegal shipments look legal. That's what made him valuable to the network.
The London meeting in April 2024—was that when things escalated?
It seems to be when he made his pitch explicit. He wasn't just a facilitator anymore; he was actively offering to source weapons and use his government ties as a commodity. The 2 percent commission suggests he understood exactly what he was doing.
Why would a military officer risk this?
Money, probably. But also access. He had something the cartel needed that most people couldn't provide—legitimacy. A forged document from someone with no credibility is worthless. One from someone with government connections carries weight.
The weapons list grew to $58 million. How does that happen?
Once you've proven you can move smaller shipments, the buyer gets confident. They start asking for bigger things. Anti-aircraft guns, drones—these aren't impulse purchases. They're asking because they believe you can deliver.
Three of the four are already extradited. What does that mean for Katungi?
It means the evidence is probably solid. The others have already been processed through the system. He's walking into a case where the infrastructure of the conspiracy is already documented and corroborated.