19/08/2026
NDLEA Arrests KC Luxury, Associates as International Co***ne Cartel Is Dismantled
Agency Recovers 184.5kg Co***ne Worth N39 Billion, Foreign Currency, Jewellery and Exotic Cars
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an international co***ne trafficking cartel allegedly using Nigeria as a transit hub for the movement of illicit drugs to the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), disclosed this while addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
According to Marwa, the operation led to the seizure of 184.50 kilograms of co***ne, concealed in a consignment being processed through a courier logistics company in Lagos for onward shipment to the United Kingdom.
He said the seized co***ne was estimated to have a street value of about N39 billion within the cartel’s international distribution network.
Following the seizure, Marwa said he immediately directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team to trace the entire network behind the shipment, from the couriers to the masterminds.
Working with the management of the courier company involved, NDLEA operatives reportedly uncovered a network of intermediary companies and individuals allegedly used to process and move the consignments.
Two key suspects were subsequently arrested, among others.
One of the suspects, 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 reportedly established that Kehinde packaged and processed consignments for the syndicate and routed them to the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia in exchange for cash payments.
The second and more prominent suspect is Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known online as “KC Luxury.”
Marwa identified KC Luxury as the alleged Nigerian arrowhead of the cartel. According to the NDLEA boss, the suspect presented himself publicly as a luxury goods dealer, businessman and social media influencer dealing in gold, jewellery and other luxury items.
The agency alleged that he used his public image and luxury lifestyle to conceal his involvement in an international co***ne trafficking operation stretching from South America through Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.
Marwa said KC Luxury was arrested on the night of August 13, 2026, after intelligence indicated that he planned to leave Nigeria on a business-class flight to Paris.
NDLEA operatives reportedly apprehended him at the boarding gate of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as he attempted to leave the country.
At the time of his arrest, he was allegedly found in possession of €7,750, £2,800 and ₦100,000 in cash, as well as expensive jewellery.
A subsequent search of his luxury apartment in Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, reportedly led to the recovery of several exotic vehicles.
According to Marwa, investigations further revealed that the cartel allegedly used false identities to conceal the true consignors of its 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, where some alleged members have reportedly been arrested by British authorities in connection with the same network.
Marwa linked the latest operation to a series of recent successes recorded by the NDLEA against transnational drug trafficking organisations, including the dismantling of a Switzerland-based cartel allegedly operated by Simon Amadi and the takedown of two Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine syndicates operating clandestine laboratories in forests in Ogun and Oyo States.
The NDLEA chairman said the latest operation demonstrated that traffickers could no longer rely on luxury lifestyles, business fronts, courier companies or international connections to evade law enforcement.
He also warned that drug trafficking organisations were increasingly shifting from seaports and airports to courier and logistics companies, which they allegedly consider less monitored.
Marwa stressed that the agency would continue to pursue traffickers regardless of where they operate.
The NDLEA chief also described the operation as a significant example of international cooperation, noting the near-simultaneous arrests of alleged cartel members in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
He commended the agency’s international partners and the Special Investigation Team, coordinated by the Director of Operations and General Investigation, for their role in uncovering the alleged syndicate.
Marwa assured Nigerians that the NDLEA would remain committed to protecting young people and communities and preventing Nigeria from being used as a transit route for illicit drugs destined for other parts of the world.
