Luis Francisco Martinez, an American on the Drug Enforcement Agency’s watchlist is being investigated for allegedly trying to smuggle 22kgs of gold out of the country.

According to the Police, Martinez was working with a local company in Uganda known as HP3 Global Limited and under the directorship of a Ugandan named Peter Ntege to smuggle gold from DRC Congo. However, HP3 Global Limited and its director Ntege have been cleared any criminal activities by the Police.

“We are still investigating the case whereby we suspect there’s an extensive network of people who deal in gold and are connected to the American drug lords. We are following them and anytime will burst their racket,” Police said in a statement.

It is suspected that this is an international syndicate smuggling gold out of East Africa to clean the proceeds acquired from the drug operations in Mexico and the United States. 

Their operations are disguised through several companies in the United States of America under the management of Edward Lee Hinojosa, a trained accountant from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

The same group is under investigation for aiding M23 rebels fighting the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Over 400 kgs of gold believed to be supplied by the M23 Rebels was intercepted by United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities recently.