Nigeria influencer arrested after seizure of cocaine worth $28m destined for the UK
Afolabi Kazeem Micheal has not commented on allegations he is linked to a global drug trafficking network.
Nigerian social media influencer KC Luxury, Afolabi Kazeem Micheal, has been arrested after authorities seized nearly $28 million worth of cocaine destined for the UK, Nigeria's drug enforcement agency announced. The 49-year-old, with 700,000 Instagram followers, was detained at an airport in Lagos as he prepared to board a flight to Paris.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) claims Micheal was the "arrowhead" of a global drug trafficking network that used Nigeria as a transit hub to move drugs to Europe, Asia, and the UK. On August 3, 184.5kg of cocaine was found hidden in brown boxes at a courier facility in Lagos. Micheal was arrested 10 days later at Murtala Mohammed International Airport while attempting to leave the country on a business-class flight to Paris.
He was found to be carrying over $12,840 in cash in euros, pounds, and naira, as well as expensive jewelry consistent with proceeds from his illicit trade. Another suspect, 33-year-old Lawal Mujab Kehinde, was also arrested and is alleged to have been a staff member of a logistics company involved in the cocaine transport. Kehinde is accused of packaging the cocaine for export and being paid in cash.
The NDLEA vowed to pursue other members of the network internationally, emphasizing that the arrests would not be the last.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
