Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, a retired Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier and former African Union policy adviser, has been extradited from Uganda to the United States on Saturday, September 12, 2026 to face federal charges in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia related to a $58 million international arms-trafficking and drug conspiracy.
The development marks the completion of Uganda’s extradition process, weeks after the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court cleared the way for Katungi’s surrender and Justice Minister Norbert Mao subsequently issued a warrant ordering his handover to the United States.
In the September 1 warrant, Mao directed the Commissioner General of Prisons to “release and deliver” Katungi to a person authorised by the US government to receive him.
“The authorised representative of the Government of the United States of America receiving Michael Katungi Mpeirwe pursuant to this Warrant shall be entitled to receive, hold in custody and convey him from Uganda into the jurisdiction of the United States of America,” Mao said.
Mao also directed Ugandan authorities to facilitate the transfer, saying the surrender should be carried out “in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Uganda, the applicable extradition arrangements and any applicable conditions governing the surrender.”
The minister’s order followed a ruling by Chief Magistrate Ritah Kidasa Neumbe on August 28 that found the legal requirements for extradition had been met. The court committed Katungi to prison pending the minister’s decision on his surrender.
The United States is seeking Katungi’s trial before the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, under case number 1:25-CR-102 (AJT).
He faces three conspiracy charges: conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilogrammes or more of cocaine, conspiring to possess firearms including a machine gun and destructive device in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspiring to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
US prosecutors allege that Katungi worked with Bulgarian national Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, Kenyan national Elisha Odhiambo Asumo and Tanzanian national Subiro Osmund Mwapinga in an international network that sought to supply military-grade weapons to Mexico’s Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG.
The alleged weapons included AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, anti-personnel mines and anti-aircraft systems. Ugandan court proceedings also heard allegations that the group planned a much larger weapons transaction valued at about €53.7 million.
Katungi has consistently been presumed innocent unless and until proved guilty in the US court. His extradition follows a legal battle that began after his arrest in June.
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He challenged aspects of the proceedings, including the jurisdiction and authority of Ugandan officials involved in processing the US request and claims relating to diplomatic immunity. The High Court in August dismissed an earlier revision application as premature, sending the matter back to the magistrate’s court.
With Katungi now outside Uganda, the criminal case will shift to the US judicial system, where prosecutors will have to prove the allegations against him beyond a reasonable doubt.
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