NDLEA nabs newlywed at Enugu airport with 72 cocaine wraps

A 25-year-old newlywed businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Enugu airport after swallowing 72 wraps of cocaine.

Chukwulobelu was intercepted at the departure hall of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport on Thursday, September 25, just days after getting married on September 13. He was caught while trying to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal, still wearing his wedding ring.

After his arrest, officers placed him under observation until he excreted all 72 wraps of the illegal drug.

During questioning, the suspect confessed that he turned to drug trafficking to raise money to clear the debts he incurred during his recent wedding ceremony. He explained that he used to run a car decoration business in Lagos before relocating to Portugal in May 2023, and had only returned to Nigeria for his marriage.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the arrests in a statement on Sunday, narrating how the groom was caught:

“The groom was intercepted by NDLEA officers at the departure hall of the Enugu airport… with cocaine in his gut and a wedding ring on his finger…He said he resorted to the criminal trade to offset expenses incurred during his wedding”, Babafemi.

The NDLEA also recorded several other drug busts across the country in the same week. At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, operatives seized over 2.5 million pills of opioids, weighing over 1,600kg. The illegal drug shipments were tracked coming in from India and Bangladesh.

Other nationwide operations led to the arrest of drug traffickers in Bauchi, Oyo, and Lagos. In Edo State, soldiers and NDLEA officers teamed up to destroy two large cannabis farms, while border guards intercepted over 1,600kg of laughing gas at the Seme border.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised the officers across the different state commands for the successful operations.