The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an international cocaine trafficking syndicate allegedly using Nigeria as a transit hub for the movement of illicit drugs to the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.
The agency said it arrested the alleged Nigerian coordinator of the cartel, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as “KC Luxury,” at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to leave the country.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos while briefing journalists on the operation.
According to Marwa, the investigation followed the interception of 184.5kg of cocaine concealed in a consignment processed through a courier logistics company in Lagos.
He said the cocaine was allegedly intended for onward shipment to the United Kingdom and other destinations, with the cartel expected to realise about N39 billion from its international distribution.
Following the seizure, Marwa said he directed the establishment of a Special Investigation Team to identify the individuals and companies involved in the shipment and uncover the wider network behind the operation.
The investigation subsequently led to the arrest of two key suspects, including Lawal Mujab Kehinde, a staff member of the logistics company through which the consignment was processed.
NDLEA said investigations established that Kehinde allegedly maintained a relationship with the cartel’s Nigerian coordinator and regularly packaged and processed consignments for the syndicate for shipment to the UK, Europe and Asia.
The agency identified the second suspect as Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as “KC Luxury,” whom investigators described as the alleged Nigerian arrowhead of the cartel.
Marwa said Michael presented himself publicly as a social media influencer and businessman involved in gold, jewellery and luxury goods, while allegedly operating a cocaine trafficking network with links stretching from South America through Nigeria to Europe and Asia.
He said the suspect was arrested on August 13 after NDLEA operatives received intelligence that he planned to flee Nigeria on a business-class flight to Paris.
According to the NDLEA chairman, operatives apprehended him at the boarding gate of the Lagos airport.
During the arrest, the agency allegedly recovered €7,750, £2,800 and N100,000 in cash, as well as expensive jewellery.
A subsequent search of his luxury apartment on Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, also led to the recovery of exotic vehicles, according to the agency.
Marwa said investigations further revealed that the cartel allegedly used false identities to conceal the real consignors of drug shipments and relied on financial facilitators to move billions of naira on its behalf.
He added that the syndicate maintained criminal links in the United Kingdom, with some members reportedly arrested by British authorities in connection with the investigation.
The NDLEA boss described the operation as one of the agency’s significant recent narcotics investigations, particularly because of the scale of the cocaine seizure and the alleged international reach of the syndicate.
He also linked the development to other recent operations targeting transnational drug networks, including the dismantling of the Switzerland-based Simon Amadi drug cartel and the disruption of Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine syndicates operating clandestine laboratories in Ogun and Oyo states.
Marwa said the latest operation demonstrated the agency’s ability to track drug traffickers beyond conventional channels.
He expressed concern over what he described as a growing shift by trafficking organisations from seaports to courier and logistics companies, which they allegedly consider less monitored routes for moving narcotics across international borders.
He, however, warned that the agency would continue to pursue traffickers regardless of where they operate.
The NDLEA chairman commended the agency’s international partners and members of the Special Investigation Team, coordinated by the Director of Operations and General Investigation, for their role in uncovering the syndicate.
He also assured Nigerians that the agency would sustain efforts to prevent the country from being used as a transit route for illicit drugs.
The suspects remain subject to investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law.