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Uganda-US extradition of former military officer

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2026-09-13 03:09 UTC → 2026-10-10 09:49 UTC · added ~~removed~~

A Ugandan court ordered the extradition of retired Lieutenant Michael Katungi Mpeirwe to the United States. Mpeirwe, a former military intelligence officer and diplomat who was a close associate of Ugandan army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, faced federal charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and providing material support to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). U.S. prosecutors alleged that Mpeirwe and co-conspirators from Bulgaria, Kenya, and Tanzania attempted to supply Mexican drug cartels with military-grade weaponry valued at approximately 53.7 million euros (roughly $54 million). The intended arsenal included machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, anti-aircraft guns, unmanned aerial systems, anti-personnel mines, and surface-to-air missiles. Following Mpeirwe’s arrest in Kampala on June 27, the Ugandan prison service, led by Commissioner General Johnson Byabashaija, confirmed that Mpeirwe was handed over to American authorities. He Since his extradition, the 45-year-old Mpeirwe has appeared in a U.S. federal court. The indictment specifies that Mpeirwe and three other foreign nationals—Peter Dimitrov Mirchev of Bulgaria, Elisha Odhiambo Asumo of Kenya, and Subiro Osmund Mwapinga of Tanzania—conspired since at least September 2022 to supply the weaponry. Prosecutors allege the group intended to support the CJNG’s illegal trafficking of large cocaine shipments into the United States. The indictment further notes that the CJNG was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under U.S. law in February 2025. Mpeirwe is expected to stand trial before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

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