A Kenyan national, Elisha Odhiambo Asumo, has been indicted in the United States for conspiring to supply military-grade weapons to Mexico’s infamous Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
- •According to an indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Virginia, Asumo collaborated with a Bulgarian arms trafficker called Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, Ugandan national Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, and Tanzanian national Subiro Osmund Mwapinga.
- •The three individuals allegedly forged export certificates designed to disguise shipments of weapons such as AK-47s, rocket launchers, and anti-aircraft equipment destined for the Mexican cartel designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization.
- •CJNG is responsible for mass violence in Mexico and extensive drug trafficking, with advanced firepower to facilitate cocaine shipments into the United States.
“If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties,” the U.S Attorney's office stated.
According to the charges, Mirchev orchestrated meetings with individuals posing as cartel representatives and recruited Asumo to fraudulently obtain an End-User Certificate (EUC) from Tanzania, which falsely declared a different recipient for the weapons.
Asumo in turn recruited Mpeirwe, who recruited Mwapinga, to assist in securing the Tanzanian EUC authorizing the importation of AK-47 rifles. Using this forged certification, the conspirators exported a test shipment of 50 AK-47 automatic rifles along with magazines and ammunition from Bulgaria, intending these to reach the CJNG.
The indictment further alleges the group planned to supply the cartel with even more advanced weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft drones, and ZU-23 anti-aircraft systems. Mirchev reportedly prepared a comprehensive weapons list valued at approximately US$58 million. Asumo and the others agreed to continue providing fraudulent arms control documentation to conceal the cartel as the true end user.
Mirchev, previously implicated in arms sales to convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, was arrested in Madrid and awaits extradition to the U.S. Asumo was arrested in Casablanca, Morocco, and is currently in extradition proceedings. Mwapinga was arrested in Accra, Ghana, and extradited to the United States in July 2025. Mpeirwe remains at large.
Kenya's Place in the Smack Track
In 2024, Kenyan law enforcement shut down a methamphetamine lab near Namanga, at the Kenya-Tanzania border, exposing the first confirmed large-scale manufacturing operation linked to the CJNG in East Africa. The arrest of a suspected cartel operative fleeing Kenya further highlighted the cartel’s deeper infiltration into the region.
Reports also indicate that Kenya is becoming a major producer and transit hub for methamphetamine and there is a nascent threat of synthetic opioids. Cocaine trafficking, largely controlled by Mexican cartels, increasingly exploits Kenya’s strategic coastal infrastructure and corruption vulnerabilities.
Neighboring Tanzania has also reported significant seizures of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals, indicating that this is a regional menace. Illegal trade is mostly facilitated by corruption, political interference, and limited enforcement capacity.
The United States, through agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Justice, is working closely with Kenyan authorities in providing training and equipment to combat the threat. Nonetheless, the sophistication and international reach of groups like the CJNG present formidable challenges.