"Intended to flee": Influencer arrested over KSh 3.6b cocaine shipment to UK
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- NDLEA arrested social media influencer Afolabi Kazeem Michael, known as KC Luxury, at Lagos airport as he boarded a Paris-bound flight
- Investigators had earlier seized 184.5kg of illicit drugs worth over KSh 3.6 billion (USD 28m) hidden in brown boxes at a Lagos courier facility
- The NDLEA linked Michael to an international cartel that used Nigeria as a transit hub to move the substances to the UK, Europe, and Asia
Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a social media influencer, alleging he was the local kingpin of an international trafficking cartel that routed drugs from South America through Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia.
Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known online as "KC Luxury," was apprehended on the night of August 13, 2026, at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos as he attempted to board a business-class flight to Paris.
The NDLEA announced the arrest publicly on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at a press conference in Lagos.
The drug seizure that triggered the investigation
The operation began on Monday, August 3, 2026, when NDLEA operatives intercepted 184.5kg of illegal substances concealed inside brown boxes at a courier logistics facility in Lagos.
The drugs, estimated to be worth over KSh 3.6 billion (USD 28 million), were intended for onward export through the same courier channel.
NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa described the consignment as the largest ever recorded through a courier company in Nigeria and immediately directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team to trace the full network behind the shipment.
How investigators tracked Michael
The investigation led authorities first to Lawal Mujab Kehinde, 33, a staff member at the logistics firm through which the drugs were processed.
The NDLEA alleges Kehinde maintained a direct working relationship with the cartel's Nigerian coordinator, helped package consignments for export, and received cash payments for his role in routing shipments to the UK and other destinations.
Investigators then identified Michael, 49, as the alleged mastermind behind the Nigerian arm of the cartel.
Online, he presented himself as a dealer in gold, jewelry, and luxury goods. The NDLEA alleges this public-facing lifestyle was used to mask his involvement in drug trafficking.
When operatives received intelligence that Michael planned to flee the country, they moved quickly.
"Upon credible intelligence that he intended to flee the country… our operatives moved decisively and apprehended him at the boarding gate… just as he attempted to escape the reach of the law," Marwa said.
Michael was carrying more than USD 12,840 in cash across three currencies—euros, pounds, and naira—along with expensive jewellery at the time of his arrest. Neither Michael nor Kehinde has commented on the allegations or been charged in court.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.