NDLEA Arraigns KC Luxury, Two Others Over Alleged ₦39bn Cocaine Shipment to UK
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned Nigerian businessman Kazeem Michael Afolabi, popularly known as KC Luxury, and two others before the Federal High Court in Lagos over an alleged attempt to export 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom.
Afolabi was arraigned alongside Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch on 22 counts bordering on alleged cocaine trafficking, unlawful exportation of narcotics and money laundering.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read before Justice Musa Kakaki. Following the arraignment, the court ordered that they be remanded in NDLEA custody and adjourned the case until October 4 for a ruling on their bail application.
According to the NDLEA, the defendants allegedly conspired between July 28 and August 1 to export the cocaine to London through a courier logistics company in Lagos. The agency alleged that the drugs were concealed in five packages bearing different airway bill numbers, with Yemi Ejide listed as the shipper.
The agency also accused Afolabi of using a staff member of BOT Express Logistics on Lagos Island to process the packages and allegedly paying ₦13.2 million from a Mallamawa Ventures account with Zenith Bank for the shipment.
The money-laundering charges accuse Afolabi of moving billions of naira through several company and personal accounts, including those linked to Mallamawa Ventures, Fateey Man Multi-Purpose Nigeria Limited, Patonifa Limited, Ade-Lak Resources, Holmestas Global Services Limited and La Capital Enterprises. The NDLEA further alleged that some of the funds were used to acquire vehicles and landed properties to conceal proceeds of the alleged drug trade.
The case followed the seizure of 184.5kg of cocaine on August 3 at a DHL facility within the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company premises in Ikeja, Lagos. The agency valued the consignment at approximately ₦39 billion and described it as its largest cocaine interception through a courier company in Nigeria.
The NDLEA said investigations linked the shipment to an international drug-trafficking network allegedly moving cocaine from South America through Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Afolabi was arrested on August 13 at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while preparing to travel to Paris, France. The defendants remain in custody as the court considers their bail application.