Simi Jolaoso

Nigerian influencer Afolabi Kazeem Micheal, known online as KC Luxury, was arrested at Lagos airport after authorities seized 184.5kg of cocaine valued at nearly $28m and allegedly destined for the UK. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency claims Micheal was a Nigerian leader of a network moving cocaine from South America through Nigeria to Europe and Asia, while a logistics-company employee, Lawal Mujab Kehinde, is accused of helping package the shipment. Neither suspect has been charged or commented, and other alleged network members have reportedly been arrested overseas.

Nigerian influencer Afolabi Kazeem Micheal, known online as KC Luxury, was arrested at Lagos airport while attempting to fly to Paris. The NDLEA alleges that he was the Nigerian coordinator for an international network moving cocaine from South America through Nigeria to the UK, Europe and Asia. Authorities seized 184.5kg of cocaine valued at nearly $28m at a Lagos courier facility and also detained logistics-company worker Lawal Mujab Kehinde. Neither suspect has been charged or commented on the allegations, while other alleged network members have reportedly been arrested overseas.

Nigerian authorities uncovered what they described as the country's largest-ever methamphetamine seizure, arresting three Mexican and seven Nigerian suspects at a forest laboratory and confiscating more than two tons of the drug. The case highlights the growing role of West Africa as a production base, not merely a transit route, for Mexican cartels including the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Intelligence from AFRICOM and the DEA indicates that Mexican specialists are working with local operators in laboratories across Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya and South Africa. Africa's remote forests, young labor force, porous borders, weak chemical-import controls and access to European and Asian markets make it attractive to traffickers. Authorities also warn that cartel revenues may help finance militant groups and that expanding production could increase local methamphetamine use. Nigeria says raids, intelligence-sharing and unusual measures such as holding court proceedings at crime scenes are intended to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for the cartels.

Nigerian authorities have uncovered large methamphetamine laboratories allegedly operated through a partnership between Mexican cartel specialists and Nigerian networks. Raids in Ogun and Oyo states uncovered more than two tonnes of meth and led to the arrest of Mexican and Nigerian suspects. Intelligence agencies have linked some African laboratories to the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, which are using West Africa's forests, cheap labor, weak chemical-import controls and access to Atlantic shipping routes to shorten supply lines to Europe and Asia. Authorities and experts warn that Africa is shifting from a transit route to a production base and that local consumption may grow, while the NDLEA says surveillance, intelligence-sharing and raids can prevent Nigeria from becoming a safe haven.