National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted two consignments of synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Colorado or “Colos”, concealed in consolidated cargoes from the United Kingdom.
Gatekeepers News reports that the agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, its director of media and advocacy. The seizures were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
According to the NDLEA, the two shipments contained a combined 44.45kg of synthetic cannabis. One of the consignments contained 27 parcels weighing 32.20kg, while another shipment contained 12 parcels weighing 12.25kg.
The agency said the first consignment was intercepted at the import shed of MMIA. The shipment was reportedly destined for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and ultimately Liberia.
Following a controlled delivery operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 41-year-old tour agent, Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, and the alleged owner of the consignment, 46-year-old Obasi Ugochukwu, at a nearby eatery.
In a separate operation in Lagos, operatives recovered another 2.1kg consignment of Colorado concealed inside music speakers at Iddo Motor Park. A suspect, Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry, was arrested on September 11 while allegedly attempting to dispatch the drugs to Kano.
The NDLEA also reported several other drug seizures and arrests across the country as part of its recent operations.
In Kano, operatives arrested 20-year-old Saidu Adamu with 785,000 capsules of pregabalin weighing 669.425kg in Sabon Gari. Another suspect, Habibu Sabitu, was arrested after 1,700 tablets of diazepam were allegedly found concealed inside loaves of bread during a stop-and-search operation along the Zaria-Kano-Hadejia Road.
In Plateau State, 51-year-old Chinedu Uzor was arrested at Katako Market, Jos, with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.
The agency also said it destroyed 4,832.56kg of cannabis, known as skunk, during operations on farms in Edo State. A 39-year-old suspect, Sunday Segun, was arrested during the operation.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives recovered 186kg of skunk allegedly concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon car. Paul Ogbuwala, 58, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
The NDLEA chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to maintain pressure on drug trafficking networks.
Marwa charged the operatives to “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.”
The latest operations highlight the agency’s continued efforts to disrupt international drug trafficking routes and prevent illicit substances from entering or circulating within Nigeria.
