NDLEA Smashes Lagos Drug Lab Producing Potent “Colorado,” Arrests 30-Year-Old Mastermind

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered an illegal laboratory used for producing “Colorado,” a highly potent synthetic variant of cannabis, within a residential building in Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos. A 30-year-old suspect, identified as Stephen Kelechi Imoh, was arrested during the operation.

According to reports from credible security sources, the discovery followed months of covert surveillance after NDLEA operatives intercepted multiple consignments of locally produced Colorado earlier in the year, signaling a shift from importation to domestic manufacturing of the narcotic substance.

The agency revealed that the breakthrough came on Thursday, October 30, 2025, when its operatives stormed the residential apartment, which had been converted into a production hub for synthetic cannabis. Recovered from the scene were 16.2 kilograms of freshly manufactured Colorado, 1.7 kilograms of ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol, 4.5 kilograms of Potassium Carbonate, and 91 litres of Dibromobutane — all key ingredients used in producing the banned drug.

In a related operation conducted on Saturday, November 1, NDLEA agents raided the hideout of a 28-year-old notorious dealer, identified as Afeez Salisu (popularly known as “Malu”), in the Mushin area of Lagos. The officers seized 16 compressed blocks of “Ghana Loud,” another strain of cannabis, alongside several designer sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing 16.4 kilograms.

The NDLEA also arrested a 20-year-old musician, Godspower George Osahenrumwen, better known by his stage name “Steady Boy,” for attempting to receive a consignment of cannabis imported from the United States. The shipment, concealed in three cartons of bathtubs, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja via a DHL flight on October 28. The suspect was apprehended in Lekki while taking delivery of 140 bags of “Loud,” weighing 77.2 kilograms, allegedly on behalf of a syndicate led by his manager, Zion Osazee Omigie, who is currently on the run.

In Kaduna State, operatives intercepted 84,710 capsules of Tramadol en route from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Bauchi, leading to the arrest of 27-year-old Musa Abdulkarim. Two days later, another suspect, Hamza Musa, 47, was apprehended at the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate with 32,946 bottles of Akuskura, a newly identified psychoactive substance. Additionally, 30-year-old Saidu Nafiu was nabbed with 131.5 kilograms of skunk in Igabi Local Government Area.

Similar operations were carried out across several other states. In Ogun, NDLEA officers intercepted a bus along Abiola Way, Abeokuta, arresting three suspects with 1,779 kilograms of skunk traced to Benin Republic. In Bauchi, 596.4 kilograms of the same drug were recovered from a suspect identified as Jamilu Mustapha, while in Kwara, 532,600 pills of Tramadol and Exol-5 were seized from three suspects inside a truck.

In Edo State, officers intercepted two Toyota Sienna buses conveying 1,455 kilograms of skunk at Okhokho-Isi community, Uhunmwode Local Government Area. Likewise, in Ondo State, 2,829 kilograms of skunk were recovered from two storage locations linked to a woman identified as Mrs. Ige Olarewaju, while another suspect, Samuel Adebayo, was caught with 737 kilograms of the drug in Akure.

At Ibereko, Badagry, Lagos, a 50-year-old man, Ige Oluwale, was arrested with 76.5 litres of “skuchies,” a dangerous cocktail of blackcurrant, cannabis, and opioids. In Taraba State, two men, Musbahu Abdullahi (28) and Saleiman Ahmed (25), were apprehended in Wukari with 30,370 pills of Tramadol and 177 grams of methamphetamine reportedly being transported from Onitsha to Yola, Adamawa State.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across schools, religious centers, and workplaces nationwide. Awareness programmes were recently held in institutions such as Aroje/Abaa Community High School, Ogbomoso; Amazing Flower Secondary School, Ikorodu; and Government Day Secondary School, Ilelah, among others.

Commending the coordinated operations, NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised officers across various commands for their professionalism and resilience. He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug syndicates and confiscating assets linked to illicit drug operations.

Marwa stated, “The NDLEA will continue to identify and dismantle every drug network across the country. Beyond seizures, our focus is to cripple the financial backbone of these criminal cartels to protect the nation’s future.”