Newlywed Arrested at Enugu Airport With 72 Cocaine Wraps in Stomach

A 25-year-old newlywed businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after allegedly ingesting 72 wraps of cocaine bound for Portugal.

Chukwulobelu was intercepted by NDLEA officers at the airport’s departure hall on Thursday, September 25, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal through Addis Ababa.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect was found to have cocaine concealed in his stomach and was subsequently placed under excretion observation.

He later egested all 72 wraps of the Class A illicit drug.

The suspect, according to the agency, told investigators that he was into car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex in the Ojo area of Lagos before relocating to Portugal in May 2023.

He reportedly returned to Nigeria recently and got married on September 13, 2026.

NDLEA partly read: “The groom was intercepted by NDLEA officers at the departure hall of the Enugu airport on Thursday 25th September 2026, with cocaine in his gut and wedding ring on his finger, while he attempted to board an Ethiopian Airline flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa. He was subsequently placed under excretion observation during which he egested a total of 72 wraps of the Class A illicit drug.”

“The suspect, who claimed he was into car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo area of Lagos before he relocated to Portugal in May 2023, said he returned to Nigeria recently to get married on 13th September 2026. He said he resorted to the criminal trade to offset expenses incurred during his wedding,” the statement said.

The arrest came as the agency reported a series of drug seizures and arrests across Lagos, Oyo, Edo and Bauchi states.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the agency’s “balanced approach” to drug control.