How Ugandan Michael Katungi Mpeirwe got involved in Mexican arms, drug cartel

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Four individuals, including a Ugandan official, have been indicted in the US for allegedly conspiring to supply military-grade weapons to one of Mexico’s most dangerous criminal outfits.

Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, a government policy advisor; together with Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, a Bulgaria-based arms dealer; Elisha Odhiambo Asumo, a Kenyan national; and Subiro Osmund Mwapinga from Tanzania, are accused of supplying arms to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

The indictment, filed on April 10, 2025, in the US district Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, details a sophisticated conspiracy involving arms trafficking, drug distribution, and terrorism financing.

The accused face charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.

According to court documents, Mpeirwe served as a policy advisor in the Ugandan government and previously worked as Deputy Head of Mission for Uganda’s High Commission and as a security logistics officer with the African Union Commission.

His government experience and network allegedly enabled him to facilitate illegal arms deals by helping to corruptly obtain official documents known as End-User Certificates (EUCs) and Delivery Verification Protocols (DVPs).

Mpeirwe is said to have collaborated closely with Kenya’s Asumo, who specialises in bribing officials to secure false EUCs and DVPs, as well as essential paperwork designed to legitimise international arms transactions.

“In and around April 2024, Mpeirwe attended a meeting in London regarding the planned arms deal. He offered to illegally obtain firearms for future sale to the CJNG as part of a planned arms deal between the Governments of Russia and Uganda. Mpeirwe also explained that he could use his connections throughout Africa and the Ugandan government to easily obtain EUCs for future arms deal in exchange for a 2% commission,” reads excerpts of the indictment.

With assistance from Tanzania’s Mwapinga, they allegedly forged official documents falsely stating that shipped weapons were destined for African militaries, yet they were intended for CJNG.

Leading the operation was Mirchev, a veteran arms trafficker based in Bulgaria, with an estimated 25 years of experience in illicit weapons sale.

The indictment also states that in and around July 2024, Mirchev and others exported 50 AK-47 automatic assault rifles and accompanying magazines and ammunition from Bulgaria to the CJNG.

After the seizure of the weapons, Asumo obtained a DVP, purportedly signed by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Defence National Services of Tanzania, reflecting that the Tanzanian military had received the weapons, even though it had not.

Following this shipment, Mirchev discussed plans to supply the cartel with more devastating weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft drones, and the ZU-23 anti-aircraft system, capable of firing explosive rounds designed to shoot down helicopters and other low-flying targets.

Mirchev’s arms brochure allegedly included these and other sophisticated military-grade weapons, with a proposed sale of nearly $58m (about shillings 206 billion). 

Mirchev allegedly coordinated meetings with representatives claiming to be from the CJNG, negotiating sale of lethal weaponry, including machine guns, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, and anti-aircraft systems.

Payments for these forged documents flowed through Kenyan bank accounts linked to Asumo, with tens of thousands of dollars wired from US bank accounts.

The indictment details meetings in Cape Town, South Africa, and London, where the conspirators allegedly negotiated terms, discussed payment, and planned future shipments, including to CJNG.

Interpol Kampala notified

On Monday, a senior police officer attached to Interpol-Kampala confirmed they had been contacted about Mpeirwe’s alleged link to trafficking weapons to CJNG.

“Through the Interpol Illicit Arms Records and Tracing Management System (iARMS) database, we can track illicit firearms and identify trafficking patterns and smuggling routes. This database contains over 1.5 million records from police forces worldwide, making it a vital tool in combating illegal arms,” the officer said on condition of anonymity.

However, attempts to get a comment from Mpeirwe were futile as calls to his known mobile number went unanswered. But local media quoted Mpeirwe dismissing reports of alleged arms dealing with CJNG.

On August 21, 2013, British national David Greenhalgh came under Interpol investigation for allegedly trafficking arms to South Sudan via Uganda. Between 2009 and 2025, he reportedly brokered deals supplying military-grade equipment to war-torn countries.

Greenhalgh had previously made headlines after being defrauded of $3.9m (sh14b) by Ugandan socialite Shanita Namuyimba, aka “Bad Black,” who was convicted and later served prison time.

In April 2013, Interpol Manchester requested Ugandan authorities to probe Greenhalgh’s activities, suspecting he used Ugandan-based companies to facilitate illegal arms shipments from Ukraine to South Sudan. However, Ugandan officials found that none of the alleged companies were registered locally.

About CJNG cartel

The CJNG, one of Mexico’s deadliest and fastest-growing drug cartels, was formally designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US in February 2025. The cartel controls significant territory in Mexico and operates extensive drug trafficking networks across multiple continents, including the United States, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

The CJNG is infamous for its brutal enforcement tactics—targeting rival gangs, government officials, journalists, and local communities with violence and intimidation. It generates billions of dollars annually, primarily from trafficking cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.