A Bulgarian national has been formally charged in the United States for his alleged role in an international arms trafficking operation. The announcement was made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Virginia, naming Petar Mirchev as one of four individuals involved, alongside citizens from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. According to publicly released information, the arms were intended for a powerful drug cartel, as reported by Nova TV.

The U.S. Department of Justice claims Mirchev believed he was negotiating a major weapons deal with representatives of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. In reality, however, he was interacting with undercover informants working for U.S. law enforcement. He was arrested in Spain this past April and has since been officially indicted in Virginia. Authorities expect he will be extradited to the U.S. to face prosecution.

Mirchev is accused of proposing a massive arms deal, offering a range of military-grade weapons including thousands of Kalashnikov rifles, surface-to-air missiles, grenade launchers, unmanned aerial vehicles, and anti-aircraft systems. The total estimated value of the proposed arsenal was 53 million euros.

As part of the scheme, Mirchev allegedly arranged a test shipment of 50 AK-47 assault rifles from Bulgaria, using falsified end-user documentation pointing to Tanzania. The intended recipient, according to the U.S. case files, was the Jalisco cartel - known as one of Mexico’s most violent and well-organized drug trafficking organizations.

While the official documents do not explicitly mention Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes - better known as “El Mencho” - authorities believe that such a high-level transaction could not have proceeded without his approval. El Mencho, the notorious leader of the Jalisco cartel, remains a fugitive, with the U.S. government offering a million reward for information leading to his capture.