Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted two shipments of synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Colorado or Colos, concealed in consolidated cargoes from the United Kingdom.
“Colos” is Nigerian street slang for Colorado, a form of synthetic cannabis.
The agency also recovered two other consignments of Colorado hidden inside music speakers at two motor parks in Lagos, with at least seven suspects arrested in connection with the seizures.
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
At the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a UK-bound consignment containing 27 parcels of Colorado weighing 32.20kg.
According to the agency, a real estate agent, Abideen Jide Salami, was arrested on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, after he arrived to collect a large luggage containing the illicit substance using a secret collection code reportedly relayed by his brother based in the UK.
In a follow-up operation linked to another shipment from the UK, NDLEA operatives traced and arrested the designated recipient of a second consignment containing 12.25kg of Colorado.
The suspect, 44-year old Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri, reportedly told operatives that the consignment had been sent to him by his brother in the UK.
Meanwhile, operatives of the agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted a music speaker containing three packs of Colorado, at a motor park in Maza Maza, Lagos.
The consignment was reportedly being transported to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and ultimately Liberia.
NDLEA said a tour agent, 41-year old Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, and the alleged owner of the consignment, 46-year old Obasi Ugochuckwu, were arrested following a sting operation at a nearby eatery.
In a separate operation at Iddo motor park, NDLEA operatives arrested Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry on Friday, September 11, while he was allegedly attempting to dispatch 2.1kg of Colorado to Kano.
The agency said the latest seizures were part of its efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks operating through airports, motor parks and other transportation channels.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the pressure on drug trafficking networks.
He said they must “continue to shut every pipeline being used by drug cartels, whether at the airports, seaports, land borders, or in the hinterland where cannabis is cultivated.”
Marwa also urged NDLEA personnel across the country to maintain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts.
