Ugandan Ex-Army Officer Extradited to U.S. Over Alleged Weapons Plot for Mexican Drug Cartel
KAMPALA, Uganda — A Ugandan national has been extradited to the United States to face charges of plotting to supply weapons to a notorious Mexican drug cartel, according to U.S. prosecutors and Ugandan prison authorities.
Katungi Michael Mpeirwe, a retired lieutenant in the Ugandan army, was handed over to U.S. officials following his arrest in Kampala earlier this year, Ugandan prison authorities confirmed.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Mpeirwe conspired to procure and provide millions of dollars’ worth of weapons, including machine guns, rocket launchers, anti-personnel mines, drones, and surface-to-air missiles, with the help of three co-conspirators.
According to the prosecutors, some of the weapons were intended for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations.
The extradition marks a significant development in what authorities describe as a transnational arms trafficking scheme. Further details on the case and the co-conspirators have not yet been released.
Mpeirwe is expected to appear before a U.S. court to answer to the charges.
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