The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has dismantled an international cocaine trafficking cartel that allegedly used Nigeria as a transit hub to move illicit drugs to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia.
The agency said its operatives also arrested the alleged Nigerian coordinator of the syndicate, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as “KC Luxury,” a self-styled luxury goods dealer and social media influencer. He was arrested at the boarding gate of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on August 13, 2026, while allegedly attempting to leave the country on a business-class flight to Paris.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed the development while addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday. According to the agency, the operation began with the interception of 184.50 kilograms of cocaine concealed for export through a courier logistics channel in Lagos.
Marwa described the seizure as the largest cocaine interception made through a courier company in Nigeria and said the cartel was expected to realise up to N39 billion from the consignment through its international distribution network. Following the seizure, he said a Special Investigation Team was constituted to trace the network behind the shipment, from those who processed the consignment to the alleged masterminds.
The investigation, carried out in collaboration with the management of the courier company, uncovered a network of intermediary companies and individuals allegedly used by the cartel to process and move drug consignments. One of the suspects arrested was identified as Lawal Mujab Kehinde, a staff member of the logistics firm, who was allegedly linked to the syndicate’s Nigerian coordinator.
The NDLEA said its investigation identified Afolabi as the alleged Nigerian arrowhead of the cartel. The agency alleged that he used his public image as a businessman dealing in gold, jewellery and other luxury goods, as well as his social media presence, to conceal an international cocaine trafficking operation stretching from South America through Nigeria to the UK, Europe and Asia.
According to Marwa, Afolabi was found with €7,750, £2,800 and N100,000 in cash, alongside expensive jewellery at the time of his arrest. A subsequent search of his luxury apartment on Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, also led to the recovery of exotic vehicles.
The NDLEA boss said further investigations showed that the cartel allegedly used false identities to conceal the actual consignors of its shipments and relied on financial facilitators to move billions of naira on its behalf. He added that the syndicate maintained criminal contacts in the United Kingdom, with some alleged associates already arrested by British authorities in connection with the same network.
Marwa said the operation reflected the agency’s growing capacity to track and dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks, noting that traffickers had increasingly turned to courier and logistics companies following intensified scrutiny at airports and seaports.
He said the operation also involved international cooperation, with suspected members of the cartel arrested almost simultaneously in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Marwa commended the agency’s international partners and the Special Investigation Team for their role in unravelling the syndicate.
The NDLEA chairman warned drug traffickers who hide behind luxury lifestyles, social media personas and legitimate businesses that the agency would continue to track them down, stressing that no route or location would serve as a safe haven for illicit drug operations in Nigeria.
