Uganda clears ex-soldier for US trial over alleged arms deal with Mexican cartel
Ugandan authorities have cleared the way for the extradition of retired army lieutenant Katungi Michael Mpeirwe to the United States, where he is wanted over allegations of conspiring to supply military-grade weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
A Ugandan court on Friday committed Katungi to prison pending a decision by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs on his surrender to US authorities. The court rejected preliminary objections raised by his defence and found that the government had met the legal and evidential threshold required under Uganda’s Extradition Act.
US prosecutors accuse Katungi of being part of an international network that allegedly sought to supply weapons to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organisations.
According to the US indictment, the alleged weapons included machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, anti-personnel mines and anti-aircraft weapons. Prosecutors estimate the planned weapons deal at about $54 million to $58 million.
Katungi is also accused of conspiring to traffic cocaine and provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation. US authorities allege that he used contacts in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa to help obtain end-user certificates and other documents intended to conceal the weapons’ actual destination.
The case has attracted additional attention because Katungi was previously a close associate of Uganda’s military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and served in the Patriotic League of Uganda, a political organisation associated with Kainerugaba. He was removed from his position after the US indictment was filed in 2025.
The alleged network also involves Bulgarian arms dealer Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, as well as Kenyan national Elisha Odhiambo Asumo and Tanzanian national Subiro Osmund Mwapinga. Mirchev and Asumo have already been extradited to the US to face related charges.
Katungi has opposed extradition and denied the allegations. His transfer to the US will ultimately depend on the next steps by Uganda’s justice authorities.
The case highlights the increasingly international nature of arms and drug trafficking, with alleged supply chains stretching from Europe and East Africa to powerful criminal organisations in Latin America.
