By Deborah Nnamdi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a secret laboratory used for producing Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, inside a residential building at Ajao Estate in the Isolo area of Lagos State.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to Babafemi, the operation followed months of intensive intelligence gathering after NDLEA officers intercepted several consignments of Colorado in March and May 2025, a discovery that suggested the drug—previously imported into Nigeria—was being manufactured locally.
The laboratory’s owner, 30-year-old Stephen Kelechi Imoh, was arrested during a raid conducted on Thursday, October 30, 2025.
“The discovery followed months of intelligence gathering on possible Colorado laboratories in Lagos after NDLEA officers intercepted consignments of freshly produced Colos in March and May 2025, suggesting that the dangerous psychoactive substance was now being locally produced,” Babafemi said.
During the operation, NDLEA operatives recovered 16.2 kilograms of freshly cooked Colos, 1.7 kilograms of ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol, 4.5 kilograms of potassium carbonate, and 91 litres of dibromobutane—all chemicals used in the production of synthetic cannabis.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers raided the hideout of a suspected drug dealer, 28-year-old Afeez Salisu (alias Malu), in the Mushin area of Lagos. During the raid, the operatives seized 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud and several sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing 16.4 kilograms.
The agency said investigations are ongoing to identify other members of the drug network and dismantle any remaining production or distribution channels in Lagos.
