Fleeing celebrity drug kingpin arrested as NDLEA smashes cocaine cartel
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a self-styled luxury goods dealer and social media influencer, as he attempted to flee the country.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), disclosed this while addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday 18th August 2026.
According to Marwa, the operation began with the interception of a consignment of 184.50 kilograms of cocaine concealed for onward export through a courier logistics channel in Lagos. Given the scale of the seizure, he immediately directed the constitution of a Special Investigation Team, with a mandate to trace the entire network behind the shipment. The cartel was hoping to realise as much as N39 billion from the consignment through their international distribution network.
Working closely with the management of the courier company involved, NDLEA operatives unravelled a web of intermediary companies and individuals used to process the consignment, leading to the arrest of two key suspects, among several others.
Mara mentioned that the first, Lawal Mujab Kehinde, a staff member of the logistics firm through which the cocaine was processed, was found to have a direct and sustained relationship with the cartel’s Nigerian coordinator. Investigation also established that he packages and processes consignments for the syndicate, routes them to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and, Asia, while he was paid in cash.
‘’The second and more prominent suspect is Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known online as “KC Luxury,” whom investigations identified as the Nigerian arrowhead of the cartel. Parading as a social media influencer and businessman dealing in gold, jewellery, and luxury goods, Afolabi used his glamorous public image to disguise a criminal enterprise moving cocaine along a pipeline stretching from South America, through Nigeria, to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia.’’
