How Kenyan Man Was Traced to a $58M Arms Conspiracy With Mexico’s Deadliest Drug Cartel
A vast international investigation is unfolding, focusing on alleged arms trafficking and drug conspiracy, with a Kenyan national at its core.
Revelations in a Virginia State court have implicated Elisha Odhiambo Asumo and three others in a plot to furnish military-grade weaponry to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most violent drug cartels. Elisha Odhiambo Asumo is currently detained in Morocco, awaiting extradition to the United States. He stands accused of conspiring with Bulgarian arms broker Peter Dimitrov Mirchev, Ugandan national Michael Katungi Mpeirwe, and Tanzanian operative Subiro Osmund Mwapinga to supply an arsenal of weapons to the CJNG.
The indictment, unsealed in the Eastern District of Virginia, alleges the group sought to provide the cartel with rocket launchers, anti-aircraft systems, landmines, and other combat-grade equipment valued at approximately $58 million. According to US prosecutors, the CJNG initially contracted Mirchev, a seasoned arms trafficker with alleged ties to convicted Russian dealer Viktor Bout. Mirchev then allegedly enlisted Asumo in September 2022 to assist in sourcing falsified documentation and coordinating logistics.
Asumo, in turn, is believed to have recruited Mpeirwe and Mwapinga, both purportedly having longstanding experience in illicit arms transactions across East Africa. The group’s alleged activities reportedly included a trial shipment of 50 AK-47 rifles, accompanied by forged end-user certificates purporting to originate from Tanzanian military authorities. These falsified documents, designed to conceal the weapons' true destination, falsely indicated the arms were intended for domestic use and would not be re-exported.
When the shipment was intercepted, Asumo purportedly procured a counterfeit letter from Tanzania’s Defence Ministry to falsely claim the rifles had been received, further complicating the investigative trail. Financial records presented in court disclose that Asumo received $35,000 through accounts in both Kenya and the United States for his alleged role in facilitating the trial consignment. Additional payments were reportedly made to facilitate meetings with cartel representatives, during which discussions reportedly expanded to include the use of East Africa as a transit hub for cocaine trafficking.
US prosecutors contend that the weapons were intended to bolster the cartel’s drug operations, which have been linked to widespread violence and territorial disputes across the Americas and beyond. Designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the Trump administration earlier this year, the CJNG is recognised for its brutal enforcement tactics and expansive global footprint. Operating in over 30 countries, including Kenya, the cartel has been implicated in assassinations, attacks on law enforcement and intimidation campaigns targeting journalists and civil society groups.
The indictment forms part of “Operation Take Back America,” a federal initiative launched by the US Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, dismantle transnational criminal organisations, and restore public safety. This operation consolidates resources from various law enforcement agencies. DEA Special Agent Louis D’Ambrosio and US Attorney Erik Siebert have both described the case as emblematic of the objectives of disrupting the flow of arms and narcotics into American communities.
Arrest warrants for the accused were issued in December 2024. Mirchev was apprehended in Madrid by Spanish authorities, whilst Mwapinga was arrested in Accra and extradited to the US in July. Asumo was detained in Casablanca on 8 April 2025 following an urgent Interpol alert. At the time of his arrest, he was allegedly found in possession of multiple ATM cards, cash in various currencies, and a mobile phone believed to contain communications relevant to the investigation. Mpeirwe remains at large, as authorities continue their pursuit.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division-Bilateral Investigations Unit, with support from international partners including the Hellenic National Police in Greece, are actively investigating the case. The defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and providing material support to a designated terrorist organisation. Each faces a minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted.
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