A Ugandan diplomat, Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, has been indicted in the United States for allegedly conspiring to supply military-grade weapons to one of Mexico’s most dangerous drug cartels.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Katungi who has served in various government roles including as a policy advisor and deputy head of mission at the Uganda High Commission is accused of working with Kenyan national Elisha Odhiambo Asumo to fraudulently acquire arms control documents in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.
These documents, known as End-User Certificates (EUCs) and Delivery Verification Protocols (DVPs), are meant to regulate and track the legal sale of military-grade weapons. However, prosecutors say the group used forged and corruptly obtained documents to facilitate illegal arms deals.
The indictment, unsealed in the Eastern District of Virginia, also names Bulgarian arms trafficker Peter Dimitrov Mirchev and Tanzanian national Subiro Osmund Mwapinga. Together, the group allegedly conspired to supply weapons including machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, and anti-aircraft systems to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a violent Mexican drug cartel recently designated a foreign terrorist organization.
The U.S. alleges that in 2022, the group coordinated meetings in Cape Town and London to arrange arms shipments, including a test delivery of 50 AK-47 rifles from Bulgaria using a forged EUC from Tanzania. The weapons were intended for use in trafficking cocaine into the United States.
Katungi, who previously contested for MP in Butemba County and served as diaspora head of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), is accused of accepting a 2% commission on each arms deal.
The total value of the proposed weaponry was estimated at €53.7 million (approximately UGX 200 billion), including advanced systems like surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft drones.
U.S. authorities say the investigation is ongoing, and the suspects face multiple charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, illegal possession of firearms, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
