A 25-year-old businessman has been arrested at an airport in Nigeria after allegedly ingesting 72 wraps of cocaine in an attempt to smuggle the drugs to Portugal.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said Lovely Chukwulobelu was arrested on September 25, 2026, at the departure hall of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.
According to NDLEA director of media and advocacy Femi Babafemi, the suspect was attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa when he was intercepted.
Babafemi said Chukwulobelu had allegedly ingested the cocaine and was subsequently placed under excretion observation.
During the process, he reportedly expelled 72 wraps of the drug.
The NDLEA said Chukwulobelu resides in Portugal and had recently returned to Nigeria, where he got married on September 13, 2026.
The agency said he previously operated a car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, before relocating to Portugal in May 2023.
According to investigators, Chukwulobelu reportedly told them that he became involved in drug trafficking to help offset expenses incurred during his wedding.
The arrest was among several drug-related operations carried out by the NDLEA across Nigeria.
In another operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, operatives seized 2.55 million pills of tramadol and tapentadol on September 22.
Babafemi said the drugs were intercepted at the airport’s import shed following the joint examination of three monitored consignments imported from India and Bangladesh.
The consignments arrived through Qatar Airways, RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines.
The seized drugs included Tramaking 225mg, Tramaking 250mg and Royal Tapentadol 250mg, with a combined gross weight of 1,640.55kg.
The NDLEA said investigations into the various cases are ongoing.
