Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a secret laboratory producing Colorado, a potent synthetic cannabis, inside a residential building at Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos, arresting 30-year-old Stephen Kelechi Imoh.
According to a statement by the NDLEA on Saturday, the discovery followed months of intelligence gathering after officers intercepted consignments of freshly produced Colorado (Colos) in March and May 2025, indicating that the drug, once imported, was now being locally manufactured.
“The breakthrough came on Thursday, October 30, when NDLEA operatives raided a residential apartment converted into a laboratory for producing Colos,” the statement said.
Recovered items from the building included 16.2kg of freshly cooked Colos, 1.7kg of ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol, 4.5kg of Potassium Carbonate, and 91 litres of Dibromobutane, all chemicals used in producing synthetic cannabis.
In a separate operation on Saturday, November 1, NDLEA officers stormed the den of a 28-year-old drug dealer, Afeez Salisu (alias Malu), in Mushin, Lagos, seizing 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud (another cannabis strain) and designer sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing 16.4kg.
The agency also arrested a 20-year-old music artist, Godspower George Osahenrumwen, popularly known as Steady Boy, for attempting to collect a shipment of cannabis imported from the United States.
The consignment, concealed inside three cartons of bathtubs, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, aboard a DHL flight on October 28.
Steady Boy was apprehended at Bougain Villa, Primewater Gardens 2, Freedom Way, Lekki, when he showed up to collect the 140 bags of Loud, weighing 77.2kg, on behalf of a syndicate led by his manager, Zion Osazee Omigie (alias Zee Money), who remains at large.
In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives intercepted 84,710 capsules of Tramadol being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Bauchi. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 27-year-old Musa Abdulkarim.
Two days later, 47-year-old Hamza Musa was arrested at the Abuja-Kaduna tollgate with 32,946 bottles of Akuskura, a new psychoactive substance (NPS), while 30-year-old Saidu Nafiu was caught with 131.5kg of skunk in Igabi LGA, Kaduna State.
In Ogun State, NDLEA officers intercepted a bus along Abiola Way, Abeokuta, arresting Seun Olaniyi (24), Rauf Asogba (28), and Ayinla Adeniyi (50) with 1,779kg of skunk traced from Benin Republic.
In Bauchi, operatives seized 596.4kg of skunk from Jamilu Mustapha (alias Last Card), while 532,600 pills of Tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered from three suspects in Ilorin, Kwara State, inside a truck marked KTG-791ZZ.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted two Toyota Sienna buses on October 29 at Okhokho-Isi community, Uhunmwode LGA, recovering 1,455kg of skunk.
Similarly, in Ondo State, officers recovered 2,829kg of skunk linked to a 32-year-old woman, Mrs. Ige Olarewaju, from two locations in Ayede, Ogbese, while another suspect, Samuel Adebayo, was arrested with 737kg of the same substance at Adegbola Junction, Akure.
At Ibereko, Badagry, Lagos, 50-year-old Ige Oluwale was caught with 76.5 litres of “skuchies”, a cocktail of blackcurrant, skunk, and opioids.
In Taraba State, two men, Musbahu Abdullahi (28) and Saleiman Ahmed (25) — were arrested in Wukari with 30,370 pills of Tramadol and 177 grams of methamphetamine, reportedly being moved from Onitsha to Yola, Adamawa State.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across the country, holding sensitisation sessions in secondary schools, religious institutions, and workplaces.
The outreach covered Aroje/Abaa Community High School, Ogbomoso (Oyo State); Amazing Flower Secondary School, Ikorodu (Lagos); Government Day Secondary School, Ilelah (Sokoto); and several others across Kano and Jigawa States.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Edo, Kwara, Ogun, Taraba, Ondo, Seme, and Bauchi Commands for their professionalism and resilience.
“The NDLEA will continue to target and dismantle every identified drug syndicate in any part of Nigeria.
“We will also ensure that offenders forfeit all traceable assets to the Federal Government. Our fight is not only to seize drugs but to cripple the economic base of these criminal networks,” Marwa said
