Last Suspect in Mexican Cartel Arms Plot Extradited After Casablanca Arrest
He was the last suspect sought in a major arms-trafficking case involving Morocco. Michael Katungi Mpweire, a 45-year-old Ugandan, has appeared before a US court following his extradition. He is accused of taking part in a plan to arm a powerful Mexican cartel.
The manhunt has ended in a federal court in Virginia. On Thursday, October 8, Michael Katungi Mpweire appeared in Alexandria, United States, to face charges of cocaine and weapons trafficking and providing material support to a terrorist organization. His extradition from Uganda marks a new stage in an international investigation to which Moroccan security services made a substantial contribution.
On Bladi.net : International arms trafficking: Morocco helps bring down suppliers of a Mexican cartel
The case took a first turn in April 2025, with the arrest in Casablanca of Kenyan national Elisha Odhiambo Asumo. The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) took part in the operation, which was conducted in cooperation with US authorities. The suspect was later extradited to the United States in March 2026.
A Bulgarian, Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, had been arrested in Madrid, while a Tanzanian, Subiro Osmund Mwapinga, had been detained in Ghana. Only the Ugandan was still evading US prosecution.
A $58 million arsenal intended for a Mexican cartel
According to the US Department of Justice, the four men allegedly tried, starting in September 2022, to supply military weapons to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s leading criminal organizations.
The network is accused in particular of using fake end-user certificates to arrange the shipment of 50 AK-47 assault rifles from Bulgaria. Its plans were far more ambitious: machine guns, rocket launchers, antipersonnel mines, anti-aircraft drones and surface-to-air missiles were included in a catalogue valued at $58 million.
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Two of the suspects, Kenyan national Asumo and Tanzanian national Mwapinga, pleaded guilty to conspiracy related to cocaine trafficking in July and September 2026, respectively. They are now awaiting sentencing. Ugandan national Michael Katungi Mpweire, meanwhile, faces a minimum sentence of ten years in prison, potentially up to life imprisonment.
In its October 8 statement, the US federal prosecutor’s office again thanked Moroccan authorities, expressly naming the DGSN and DGST among the partners who helped facilitate the investigation and international extraditions.
