General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has dismissed Michael Katungi from his role as Commissioner for External Affairs of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU). The decision comes in the wake of Katungi’s indictment on charges of conspiring to illegally supply more than $58 million worth of military-grade weapons to the notorious Mexican drug cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
“I have decided to remove Michael Katungi as Commissioner for External Affairs of the PLU. He is also removed as a member of our Central Committee. From now on, only the Chairman will appoint foreign committees for our movement,” said Gen. Muhoozi.
Katungi, a Ugandan national, has been charged alongside Peter Dimitrov Mirchev of Bulgaria, Elisha Odhiambo Asumo of Kenya, and Subiro Osmund Mwapinga of Tanzania. According to a federal indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, the group allegedly conspired to provide CJNG with a vast arsenal, including machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, sniper rifles, and anti-aircraft weapons.
The CJNG is officially designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
The indictment further alleges that the group’s scheme involved a test shipment of 50 AK-47 assault rifles and an overarching plan to supply even more advanced weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles. The defendants are also accused of conspiring to traffic cocaine and knowingly supporting CJNG’s drug smuggling operations into the United States.
To mask the weapons’ true destination, Mirchev allegedly collaborated with the others to obtain falsified End-User Certificates. He is said to have recruited Asumo, who in turn brought in Katungi and Mwapinga to help procure a fraudulent certificate from Tanzania for the importation of the AK-47s.
Mirchev, reportedly linked to convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, was arrested in Spain in April and is awaiting extradition to the United States. Asumo was detained in Morocco and is undergoing extradition proceedings, while Mwapinga was arrested in Ghana and extradited to the U.S. in July.
Katungi remains at large and could not be reached for comment. However, Ugandan news outlet Chimpreports quoted him denying the allegations, saying: “Ignore [them] with the contempt [they] deserve. Mere accusations.”
If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment.
