Nigeria: an influencer arrested in the investigation of 184.5 kg of cocaine

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) presents him as the alleged coordinator in Nigeria of a network smuggling cocaine from South America to the United Kingdom, other European countries, and Asia. At the time of the announcement on August 18, the suspect had not commented on these accusations, and no charges had been reported in court.

The drug was discovered on August 3 in cartons dropped off at a package processing center in Lagos, according to the NDLEA. The agency describes the operation as the largest cocaine seizure ever made in Nigeria at a courier company.

The NDLEA estimates that the network hoped to gain up to 39 billion naira from the shipment, which is nearly 28 million dollars. This amount corresponds to an estimate attributed to the agency, and not to a value established by a court ruling.

An arrest at the boarding gate

Afolabi Kazeem Michael, 49 years old and followed by about 700,000 people on Instagram, was apprehended at the boarding gate while he was set to take a business class flight to Paris, according to the NDLEA’s Director General, Mohamed Buba Marwa.

Agents say they found 7,750 euros, 2,800 pounds sterling, 100,000 naira, and jewelry on him. A search of his apartment in Banana Island, Lagos, later led to the seizure of luxury vehicles, according to the agency’s statement.

A second suspect, Lawal Mujab Kehinde, an alleged employee of the logistics company, was also arrested. The NDLEA claims he was packing and forwarding shipments for the network in exchange for cash payments. He also had not commented on the charges, and no indictment was reported at the time of the announcement.

The Nigerian agency states that other alleged members of the network have been arrested in the United Kingdom, although British authorities had not publicly confirmed these arrests at that time. A special investigation team has been tasked with identifying the intermediaries, companies, and financial circuits related to the shipment.