Nigeria: NDLEA Seizes Cocaine Worth N39bn, Arrests Two Suspected Cartel Members

What the report says

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said it seized 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine valued at about N39 billion and arrested two suspects in what it described as one of its most significant recent investigations. According to the agency, the drugs were intercepted in Lagos as they were being prepared for export through a courier logistics company. NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa said the haul was the agency’s largest cocaine interception through a courier channel and formed part of a wider inquiry into an international trafficking network.

The agency said the suspected syndicate used Nigeria as a transit point for moving cocaine from South America to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia. Investigators, working with the courier company, reportedly traced the shipment to logistics agents, intermediary firms and individuals linked to the operation. The arrests included a logistics company employee and a businessman and social media personality identified by the agency as Afolabi Kazeem Michael, also known as KC Luxury. NDLEA said he was detained at Lagos airport on 13 August before boarding a flight to Paris.

The agency said cash, jewellery and other items were recovered from Michael, while a search of his Lagos apartment led to the recovery of luxury vehicles and other assets. A second suspect, Lawal Kehinde, was described by the NDLEA as being linked to the handling and processing of cocaine shipments. The case highlights how traffickers are increasingly using courier and logistics channels, a trend the NDLEA says it is targeting through intelligence-led operations and international cooperation.