NDLEA Arraigns KC Luxury, Two Others Over 184.5kg Cocaine Shipment to UK
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned popular luxury lifestyle influencer, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, also known as KC Luxury, and two alleged accomplices over the attempted export of 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom.
The three defendants – Afolabi, Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch – were arraigned on Friday before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a 22-count charge bordering on cocaine trafficking, unlawful export of narcotic drugs and money laundering.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The NDLEA alleged that the defendants conspired between July 28 and August 1, 2026, to export the cocaine, concealed in five consignments, through a courier logistics company in Lagos to London.
The consignments, according to the charge sheet marked FHC/LAG/CR/755/2026, were shipped under the name Yemi Ejide and carried Airway Bill numbers 2079998314, 8224082370, 2079973571, 7181131742 and 2211893902.
The agency also named Atandare Oladipupo Oluwarotimi and Latifat Yusuf as alleged members of the wider network. It said both had already been arrested in London in connection with the same case.
In the first count, the prosecution accused Afolabi, Boniface and Ikechukwu of conspiring with the two suspects in London to export the 184.5kg of cocaine, an offence punishable under Section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act.
The subsequent counts set out the alleged roles of the three defendants in the attempted shipment.
According to the NDLEA, Boniface procured Ikechukwu to facilitate the export, while Afolabi allegedly procured a staff member of BOT Express Logistics on Lagos Island to process the consignments.
Afolabi was also accused of unlawfully possessing the cocaine in preparation for its export.
The prosecution further alleged that N13.2 million was paid from a Mallamawa Ventures account with Zenith Bank to BOT Express Logistics as consideration for the shipment.
The drug-trafficking allegations are accompanied by 16 counts of money laundering brought against Afolabi under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The NDLEA alleged that he moved several billions of naira through a network of companies and personal accounts as part of efforts to conceal the alleged proceeds of illicit drug trafficking.
The companies and entities named in the charges include Mallamawa Ventures, Fateey Man Multi-Purpose Nigeria Limited, Patonifa Limited, Ade-Lak Resources, Holmestas Global Services Limited and La Capital Enterprises.
The agency alleged that some of the funds were used to acquire motor vehicles and landed properties in an attempt to disguise the origin of the proceeds.
Afolabi was also accused of failing to declare his assets to the NDLEA as required by law.
The prosecution’s case followed the interception of the five consignments containing the 184.5kg cocaine, which the agency estimated to have a street value of about N39 billion.
Afolabi was subsequently arrested by NDLEA operatives on the night of August 13, 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to leave Nigeria on a business-class flight to Paris.
The agency said his arrest followed the interception of the cocaine shipment.
Following the arrest, NDLEA operatives searched his Banana Island residence, where they reportedly recovered exotic vehicles, foreign currency and jewellery which the agency believed were proceeds of illicit drug activities.
Afolabi, who also uses the names KayCee Luxury, KayCee Lux, KC, Mr Luxury and Yemi Ejide, had presented himself online as a luxury goods dealer and lifestyle influencer.
During Friday’s proceedings, the defendants’ bail application was argued, but NDLEA prosecutor Abu Ibrahim opposed the application.
Ibrahim urged the court to remand the defendants in custody pending trial, citing the seriousness of the offences with which they had been charged.
Justice Faji subsequently ordered that the three defendants be remanded in the NDLEA’s facility.
The judge adjourned the matter until October 4, 2026, for ruling on the bail application.
The prosecution’s case represents a significant development in the investigation into the 184.5kg cocaine shipment, with the charges alleging an international trafficking network stretching from Nigeria to the United Kingdom.
The first count specifically alleges that the defendants conspired to export the cocaine in five consignments bearing the identified airway bill numbers and shipped in the name of Yemi Ejide.
The NDLEA said the investigation had already extended beyond Nigeria, with two other persons linked to the alleged conspiracy arrested in London.
