Kenyan Man Charged in US Over KSh 6.8 Billion Arms Deal With Mexico Cartel
- A Kenyan businessman has been swept up in a high-stakes US indictment linking him to one of Mexico’s deadliest drug cartels
- Prosecutors say the KSh 6.8 billion scheme aimed to arm the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación with weapons
- The cache includes rocket launchers, missiles, and drones to protect the notorious cartel's empire
Washington, DC — The United States has indicted Kenyan businessman Elisha Odhiambo Asumo, alongside two Ugandans and a Tanzanian, for allegedly conspiring to supply an arsenal of military-grade weapons to a cartel in Mexico.
Source: UGC
According to Nation, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) is one of the world’s most notorious and violent drug cartels.
What weapons did group intend to supply?
Details indicate that the group’s plan involved delivering AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, anti-aircraft drones, and surface-to-air missiles valued at nearly $53 million (KSh 6.8 billion).
The cache was to bolster the cartel’s illegal business operations in the United States.
Prosecutors allege that Asumo worked with Bulgarian arms trafficker Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, Ugandan Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, and Tanzanian Subiro Osmund Mwapinga to forge export documents, disguising the true recipient of the weapons.
CJNG is designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organisation and is responsible for mass killings, kidnappings, and large-scale drug smuggling.
“If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison," the Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
How arms deal was orchestrated
Court documents state that Mirchev, previously linked to dealings with convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, orchestrated meetings with individuals he believed were cartel representatives.
He allegedly recruited Asumo to fraudulently obtain a Tanzanian End-User Certificate (EUC) that falsely identified another party as the recipient of the weapons.
Asumo is accused of enlisting Mpeirwe, who in turn brought in Mwapinga, to help secure the EUC for the importation of AK-47 rifles.
Using the forged paperwork, the group exported a “test shipment” of 50 AK-47s with magazines and ammunition from Bulgaria, allegedly destined for CJNG operatives.
Source: UGC
How were group members arrested?
The indictment further details plans to supply the cartel with heavier firepower, including ZU-23 anti-aircraft systems, advanced drones, and missile systems.
Mirchev is said to have drawn up a weapons list worth approximately $58 million (KSh 7.5 billion), with the conspirators agreeing to continue falsifying documents to mask the cartel’s involvement.
International arrests have already been made, with Mirchev being detained in Madrid, Spain, and is awaiting extradition to the US.
Asumo was arrested in Casablanca, Morocco, while Mwapinga was apprehended in Accra, Ghana, and extradited to the US.
Mpeirwe remains at large.
Kenyan politician arrested in US for soliciting
In an unrelated case, a former UDA parliamentary aspirant from Kenya was arrested in the United States after falling for an undercover cop posing as a teenage girl.
Sheikh Nur was among 12 men who allegedly tried to pay for passion with the young girl, unaware she was part of a police operation.
Despite being aware that the girl was not an adult yet, he proceeded to plan a meet-up before he was arrested.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
