Ugandan national, Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, who is wanted in the United States over allegations of conspiring to supply heavy weaponry to a Mexican drug cartel, has dismissed the charges as baseless and politically motivated.
In a brief post on social media platform X, Katungi appeared to brush off the U.S. indictment, writing:
“You really have empty courage, ignore malicious accusations with contempt deserved. Same chaps will remove their smear campaign, don’t choke.”
The U.S. Department of Justice last week unsealed an indictment in Virginia accusing Katungi and three other foreign nationals — from Bulgaria, Kenya, and Tanzania — of attempting to sell machine guns, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft weapons, and other military-grade equipment to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Katungi remains at large, with his current location unknown. Authorities in the U.S. say he was allegedly part of a network that falsified arms control documents to disguise the true destination of weapons shipments.
While Katungi did not elaborate on his social media remarks, his post signals a rejection of the accusations, which U.S. prosecutors say carry a potential sentence of 10 years to life in prison if convicted.
Ugandan security sources say they are “aware” of the case and monitoring developments, but it is unclear whether a formal request for Katungi’s arrest or extradition has been filed with Kampala.
The indictment is part of Operation Take Back America, a DEA-led effort targeting drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations worldwide.