Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted two consignments of synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Colorado, weighing a combined 44.45kg in consolidated cargoes arriving from the United Kingdom.
The agency also recovered additional consignments of the illicit substance concealed in 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 of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the agency, its operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted a UK-bound consignment containing 27 parcels of Colorado weighing 32.20kg.
A real estate agent, Abideen Jide Salami, was subsequently arrested on Wednesday, September 9, after allegedly arriving with a collection code sent by his brother based in the UK to retrieve luggage containing the illicit substance.
The statement said a follow-up operation arising from another UK consignment led to the arrest of the designated recipient of a second shipment containing 12.25kg of Colorado.
The suspect, 44-year-old Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri, reportedly told investigators that his brother in the UK sent the consignment to him.
Meanwhile, operatives of the NDLEA Directorate of Operations and General Investigation intercepted a music speaker fitted with three packs of Colorado at a motor park in Maza-Maza, Lagos.
The consignment was reportedly destined for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and subsequently Liberia.
The agency said a sting operation at a nearby eatery led to the arrest of a tour agent, 41-year-old Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, and the alleged owner of the consignment, 46-year-old Obasi Ugochukwu.
In a separate operation at Iddo Park, Lagos, the NDLEA said another suspect, Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry, was arrested on Friday, September 11, while allegedly attempting to dispatch 2.1kg of Colorado to Kano.
The agency said the arrests and seizures formed part of its ongoing efforts to disrupt the trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs through Nigeria’s airports, cargo routes and motor parks.
