Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 25-year-old newlywed businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, for attempting to traffic 72 wraps of cocaine to Portugal where he resides.
The suspect was intercepted at the departure hall of the airport on Thursday, September 25, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa. NDLEA officers placed him under excretion observation, during which he egested the 72 wraps of cocaine he had ingested.
Chukwulobelu, who claimed he was into car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos, before relocating to Portugal in May 2023, said he returned to Nigeria recently and got married on September 13, 2026. He told investigators he resorted to drug trafficking to offset expenses incurred during his wedding.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, seized 2,550,000 pills of Tramaking 225mg, Tramaking 250mg, and Royal Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 1,640.55 kilograms. The consignments, imported from India and Bangladesh via Qatar Airways, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines, were uncovered during a joint examination of three monitored shipments.
Commending the officers, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts.
