The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled an international cocaine trafficking cartel allegedly using Nigeria as a transit point to move illicit drugs to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia.
The agency also arrested the suspected Nigerian leader of the syndicate, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as “KC Luxury,” as he attempted to leave the country.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), disclosed this on Tuesday while addressing journalists in Lagos. According to agency spokesman Femi Babafemi, Marwa described the operation as one of the most significant narcotics investigations conducted by the agency in recent times.
The operation resulted in the seizure of 184.50kg of cocaine, which the NDLEA described as the largest cocaine seizure made through a courier company in Nigeria. The agency said the consignment was concealed for onward export through a courier logistics channel in Lagos.
Following the seizure, Marwa ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team to trace the network behind the shipment, from the couriers to the alleged masterminds.
He said the cartel expected to make as much as N39bn from the consignment through its international distribution network.
Working with the management of the courier company involved, NDLEA operatives uncovered a network of intermediary companies and individuals allegedly used to process and move the drugs. Two key suspects were subsequently arrested.
One of them, Lawal Mujab Kehinde, a staff member of the logistics company, was allegedly found to have maintained a direct relationship with the cartel’s Nigerian coordinator. Investigators also alleged that he packaged and processed consignments for the syndicate and routed them to the UK, Europe and Asia in exchange for cash.
The second suspect, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known online as “KC Luxury,” was identified by investigators as the alleged Nigerian arrowhead of the cartel.
According to Marwa, Afolabi presented himself publicly as a social media influencer and businessman dealing in gold, jewellery and luxury goods, while allegedly using the image to conceal his involvement in an international cocaine trafficking operation.
The alleged trafficking route stretched from South America through Nigeria to the UK, other European countries and Asia, the NDLEA said.
Afolabi was arrested at the boarding gate of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on August 13, 2026. The agency said intelligence had indicated that he intended to flee Nigeria on a business-class flight to Paris.
The NDLEA said investigations into the cartel and its wider network are ongoing.
