Ugandan National Katungi Appears in US Court Over Alleged Cocaine and Arms Trafficking Plot

A Ugandan national has been extradited to the United States to face federal charges over an alleged international conspiracy to traffic cocaine and supply military-grade weapons to Mexican drug cartels, including the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

Michael Katungi Mpweire, 45, made his initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday, October 8, following his extradition from Uganda, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Katungi faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.

According to the indictment, Katungi and three co-defendants from Bulgaria, Kenya and Tanzania allegedly conspired, from at least September 2022, to supply military-grade weapons to Mexican drug cartels, particularly the CJNG.

The weapons allegedly included machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, anti-personnel mines, night-vision equipment and anti-aircraft weapons.

U.S. prosecutors allege that the group arranged for 50 automatic AK-47 rifles, together with magazines and ammunition, to be exported from Bulgaria using an end-user certificate obtained from Tanzania. The document allegedly misrepresented the intended recipient of the weapons, which prosecutors say were ultimately intended for the CJNG.

The alleged conspiracy subsequently expanded to include discussions about supplying more advanced weaponry, potentially including surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft drones and the ZU-23 anti-aircraft weapon system.

According to court records, the proposed weapons package was valued at approximately €53.7 million (about US$58 million).

The CJNG was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the United States on February 20, 2025, according to the Justice Department.

Bulgarian national Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, who allegedly coordinated the arms transactions, was arrested in Madrid, Spain, on April 8, 2025, and extradited to the United States on March 19, 2026.

Kenyan national Elisha Odhiambo Asumo and Tanzanian national Subiro Osmund Mwapinga have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Asumo is scheduled for sentencing on November 4, 2026, while Mwapinga is scheduled for sentencing on January 13, 2027.

The investigation involved the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Operations Division, with assistance from the U.S. Department of War and other international law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. Department of Justice also acknowledged cooperation from Ugandan authorities, including the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, in securing the extradition.

If convicted, Katungi faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment. His actual sentence, if convicted, would be determined by a federal judge after considering applicable sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The charges remain allegations, and Katungi is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

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