NDLEA Intercepts Europe-Bound Groom Carrying 72 Cocaine Wraps in Nationwide Bust
NDLEA Intercepts Europe-Bound Groom Carrying 72 Cocaine Wraps in Nationwide Bust
In a dramatic nationwide crackdown on narcotics trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted a newlywed groom carrying 72 ingested wraps of cocaine at Enugu’s airport and seized over ₦3 billion worth of opioids at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The widespread operations, which took place across multiple states, also led to the arrest of cross-border traffickers, the destruction of massive cannabis farms, and the seizure of dangerous prescription drugs and dangerous inhalants.
Newlywed Intercepted with Cocaine in Gut
Operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) in Enugu intercepted 25-year-old businessman Lovely Chukwulobelu on Thursday, September 25, as he attempted to board an Ethiopian Airline flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa.
Chukwulobelu, who was still wearing his wedding ring, was placed under excretion observation after officers suspected he was carrying narcotics internally. Over the observation period, he egested a total of 72 wraps of cocaine.
During interrogation, Chukwulobelu revealed that he ran a car decoration business in Lagos before relocating to Portugal in May 2023. He returned to Nigeria to get married on September 13, 2026, and confessed that he turned to drug trafficking to offset the heavy debts incurred from his wedding expenses.
₦3 Billion Opioid Bust at Lagos Airport
At the import shed of Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), NDLEA officers uncovered one of the largest opioid hauls of the year on Tuesday, September 22.
A joint inspection of three monitored shipments arriving from India and Bangladesh via Qatar Airways, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines yielded 2.555 million pills of high-potency opioids—including Tramaking 225mg, Tramaking 250mg, and Royal Tapentadol 250mg—weighing a combined 1,640.55 kilograms. The street value of the seized drugs is estimated at over ₦3 billion.
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Raids and Cross-Border Interceptions Nationwide
The agency’s operations stretched across several regions over the weekend:
- Cross-Border Cannabis Racket (Oyo State): On Saturday, September 26, officers along the Iganna-Ilero road intercepted two Togolese nationals—Yinusa Abdulsamad, 35, and Fatai Baba, 33. The duo was driving two pickup trucks laden with 305.6kg of Ghanaian-sourced cannabis being smuggled into Nigeria.
- Nitrous Oxide Seizure (Seme Border, Lagos): At the Seme border in Badagry, five suspects—Kingsley John, John Chibuike Okeke, Lamidi Ismaila, Babatunde Samuel, and Afeesu Idowu—were arrested with 420 cartons (1,688.4kg) of nitrous oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas,” alongside two distribution vehicles.
- Lagos City Raids: NDLEA officers raided Mushin on Saturday, arresting Odumabo Kehinde, 36, and Obiekwe Chioma, 40, with 3.4kg of skunk. The same day, 58-year-old Ugwu Johnson was apprehended at the Ebute-Ero motor park carrying 5.92kg of skunk, 2,400 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 8,400 tablets of nitrazepam, and 40,000 pills of tramadol.
- Bauchi & Edo Interdictions: In Bauchi, officers stopped a truck along the Maiduguri bypass, arresting Umar Hamidu, 35, and Abdulkarim Salihu, 45, after finding 262.5kg of compressed skunk hidden in a false bottom. Meanwhile, in Edo State, NDLEA personnel supported by military units destroyed two cannabis farms at Eko Camp, Ilushi, with an estimated yield of 1,360.23kg
Preventive Outreach & Agency Commendation
Alongside tactical raids, the NDLEA maintained its proactive War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, delivering educational lectures at community schools and higher institutions in Oyo, Edo, Gombe, and Kano states. The agency’s Delta Ports Command also conducted an advocacy visit to the Olu of Warri, His Royal Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III.
Commending the commands involved, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged officers across the country to sustain the momentum in balancing drug supply reduction with demand reduction initiatives.
