The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted two consignments of synthetic cannabis concealed in shipments from the United Kingdom at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The agency also recovered two other consignments of the illicit substance concealed inside music speakers at two motor parks in Lagos, with several suspects arrested in connection with the seizures.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the developments in a statement on Sunday.
According to him, operatives intercepted a UK shipment containing 27 parcels of Colorado, weighing 32.20kg, at the Lagos airport.
A real estate agent, Abideen Jide Salami, was arrested on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, after allegedly arriving with a secret collection code sent by his brother in the UK to retrieve a large piece of luggage containing the illicit substance.
“A follow-up operation stemming from a second UK consignment led operatives to the designated recipient of another consignment of Colorado weighing 12.25kg. The suspect, Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri, 44, said the consignment was sent to him by his brother in the UK.”
The agency said its Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) also intercepted a music speaker containing three packs of Colorado at a motor park in Maza Maza, Lagos.
The consignment was allegedly being transported to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and ultimately Liberia.
“A tour agent, Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, 41, and the consignment’s owner, Obasi Ugochuckwu, 46, were both arrested after a swift sting operation at a nearby eatery.”
Babafemi said the agency also made several arrests and recovered different controlled substances during operations across other parts of the country.
In Delta State, operatives arrested Emeka Oji and Chukwuebuka Anedi after recovering ampoules of pentazocine injection, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam, also known as hypniox, and MDMA, popularly known as molly. The substances were allegedly concealed inside music speakers.
In Kano State, a raid in the Sabon Gari area resulted in the arrest of 20-year-old Saidu Adamu, who was found with 785,000 capsules of pregabalin weighing 669.425kg.
NDLEA operatives conducting activities around the Zaria-Kano-Hadejia area also arrested 28-year-old Habibu Sabitu with 1,700 diazepam tablets allegedly concealed inside loaves of bread.
In Plateau State, 51-year-old Chinedu Uzor was arrested at Katako Market with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.
The agency also continued its operations against illegal cannabis cultivation, destroying 4,832.56kg of skunk on cannabis farms in Usen Forest, Igwe-Oke Forest and Ogboha Forest in Edo State.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers recovered 186kg of skunk from the boot of a Toyota Avalon along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure.
A 58-year-old suspect, Paul Ogbuwala, was arrested in connection with the seizure. The agency said he was preparing to transport the consignment to Jos for onward distribution.
In Kaduna State, operatives arrested Hannah Michael in the Gonin Gora area with 369.6kg of cannabis.
Meanwhile, four suspects — Motombo Silver, 44; Pere Andrew, 39; Keme Andrew, 43; and 70-year-old Godwoman Gboriye — were arrested at Ovom, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.
The NDLEA said the arrests and seizures formed part of its continued efforts to disrupt the supply and distribution networks of illicit drugs across the country.
Source: NDLEA
