Uganda: Ugandan National Katungi Appears in U.S. Court Over Alleged Cocaine and Arms Trafficking Plot

Michael Katungi Mpweire is a 45-year-old Ugandan national who appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, after being extradited from Uganda. He faces allegations tied to an international drug-and-arms conspiracy. The case matters because it allegedly connected cocaine trafficking with attempts to arm a major Mexican cartel.

According to the indictment, Katungi and three co-defendants allegedly conspired from at least September 2022. Prosecutors say the group planned to supply weapons to Mexican drug cartels, particularly the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG. The proposed arsenal included machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, mines and anti-aircraft weapons.

Katungi faces three federal conspiracy charges. These concern cocaine distribution, firearms connected to drug trafficking, and material support for a designated foreign terrorist organisation. The charges remain allegations. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Extradition is a legal process in which one country transfers a person to another country to face criminal proceedings. It allows the country handling the prosecution to bring an accused person before its courts. The process usually involves requests, legal review and cooperation between governments, although the article does not detail Katungi’s extradition proceedings.

Katungi was extradited from Uganda and made his initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. U.S. prosecutors had charged him with three alleged conspiracies involving cocaine, firearms and material support for a designated foreign terrorist organisation. A U.S. court therefore became the venue for the case described in the article.

Ugandan authorities helped secure the transfer. The Justice Department specifically acknowledged cooperation from Uganda’s Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Extradition does not establish guilt. Katungi remains presumed innocent while the case proceeds.

The alleged deal was enormous in both value and ambition. Court records put the proposed weapons package at approximately €53.7 million, about US$58 million. Its scale matters because prosecutors describe more than an isolated firearms sale. They allege a planned supply chain for military-grade equipment aimed at Mexican drug cartels.

One specific shipment allegedly involved 50 automatic AK-47 rifles, magazines and ammunition. Prosecutors say the weapons were exported from Bulgaria using an end-user certificate obtained from Tanzania. The alleged plan later expanded to more advanced equipment, including rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, anti-personnel mines, night-vision equipment and anti-aircraft weapons.

Discussions reportedly included surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft drones and the ZU-23 anti-aircraft system. The article does not say that every proposed weapon was delivered. It describes alleged arrangements and discussions, while the charges remain unproven in court.

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. Together, the charges reflect the alleged link between narcotics trafficking, weapons procurement and support for CJNG.

The indictment alleges that Katungi and three co-defendants planned international cocaine and arms activity. Prosecutors say the group sought to provide military-grade weapons to Mexican cartels. The firearm charge focuses on possessing weapons in connection with drug trafficking, while the material-support charge concerns resources allegedly intended for CJNG after its U.S. designation.

If convicted, Katungi faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment. His actual sentence would be set by a federal judge after considering sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. The charges remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

An end-user certificate is an official export document identifying the person, organisation or country expected to receive and use controlled goods. It helps authorities assess whether a weapons transfer has a legitimate destination. The article says the alleged group used such a document in arranging an arms shipment from Bulgaria.

Prosecutors allege that the certificate was obtained from Tanzania and misrepresented the intended recipient. The shipment reportedly involved 50 automatic AK-47 rifles, magazines and ammunition. According to the indictment, the weapons were ultimately intended for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG, rather than the recipient identified in the paperwork.

A false recipient matters because it can hide the real destination from export-control authorities. It may also make a transfer appear lawful while helping weapons reach a prohibited buyer. In this case, the alleged misrepresentation is part of the prosecution’s account of the wider conspiracy, not an established fact.

When the United States designates a group as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, the designation creates legal consequences under U.S. law. The article identifies CJNG as having received that designation on February 20, 2025. This status is important because providing certain resources or support to such an organisation can form the basis of a federal criminal charge.

Katungi is charged with conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation. Prosecutors allege that the group discussed supplying CJNG with weapons and other military equipment. The alleged package included rifles, ammunition, rocket launchers, grenades, mines and possible anti-aircraft systems. Those alleged resources connect the designation to the charge.

The designation does not itself prove that Katungi provided anything. The prosecution must still prove the charged conspiracy in court. The article also does not state that all proposed weapons reached CJNG. Katungi remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Cross-border trafficking cases require cooperation because the people, weapons, money and alleged conduct may be spread across different countries. Investigators must connect communications, shipments, financial arrangements and witnesses to one alleged plan. Prosecutors then coordinate with foreign authorities to arrest suspects, obtain evidence and bring defendants before the appropriate court.

This case illustrates that process. The alleged weapons were exported from Bulgaria using documentation obtained from Tanzania, while the intended recipients were Mexican cartels. The defendants came from Uganda, Bulgaria, Kenya and Tanzania. The investigation involved the DEA’s Special Operations Division, the U.S. Department of War and other international law enforcement agencies.

International cooperation also continued after arrests. Uganda helped secure Katungi’s extradition, while Bulgarian defendant Peter Dimitrov Mirchev was arrested in Spain and later extradited to the United States. Kenyan and Tanzanian co-defendants pleaded guilty. The case now moves through separate U.S. proceedings, with Katungi’s guilt still unproven.