FORMER UGANDAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER EXTRADITED TO US OVER $54M CARTEL ARMS PLOT
Former Ugandan military intelligence officer and diplomat Katungi Michael Mpeirwe has reportedly been extradited to the United States to face charges linked to an alleged plot to supply $54 million worth of military-grade weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
Mpeirwe, who has been described as a close associate of Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, was arrested in Kampala in late June 2026 following an indictment filed by US prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Ugandan prison authorities have reportedly confirmed that Mpeirwe was handed over to US authorities after a court-ordered extradition process was completed in August.
According to US prosecutors, Mpeirwe and several alleged co-conspirators from Bulgaria, Kenya and Tanzania were involved in a scheme to provide weapons to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a powerful Mexican organised crime group that the United States has designated as a foreign terrorist organisation.
The alleged weapons deal reportedly included machine guns, rocket launchers, surface-to-air missiles, drones and anti-aircraft guns, among other military equipment.
Mpeirwe is facing allegations including conspiracy to traffic cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes and providing material support to the CJNG.
The extradition marks a major development in the US investigation into an alleged international arms network accused of supplying sophisticated weapons to Mexican organised crime.
Mpeirwe remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.