NDLEA intercepts Colorado shipments from UK, drugs hidden in bread, speakers

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted multiple shipments of synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Colorado or Colos, concealed in cargoes arriving from the United Kingdom, while also recovering illicit drugs hidden inside music speakers and loaves of bread.

This was contained in a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, on Sunday, September 13, 2026.

The agency recovered more than 2.3 tons of assorted illicit drugs and arrested several suspects during operations across Lagos, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa, and Kano states.

What they are saying

The agency said its operatives intercepted two UK-bound consignments containing Colorado at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. One of the consignments contained 27 parcels weighing 32.20kg.

• A real estate agent, Abideen Jide Salami, was arrested on September 9 after arriving to collect large luggage containing the illicit substance using a secret collection code allegedly relayed to him by his brother based in the United Kingdom.

A follow-up operation linked to another UK consignment led to the arrest of Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri, 44, who was allegedly expecting another shipment of Colorado weighing 12.25kg. The NDLEA said Kadiri told investigators that his brother in the UK had sent the consignment.

Get up to speed

In October 2025, the NDLEA intercepted multiple consignments of illicit drugs concealed in unusual items, including frozen snails, electrical bulbs and female clothing, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The consignments were headed to the United States, United Kingdom and Democratic Republic of Congo.

• The agency said a cargo agent, Boladale Riliwan, was arrested after 15 parcels of skunk were found concealed inside 10 rechargeable electrical bulbs presented for export to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• In August 2026, the NDLEA reported another major seizure at the Lagos airport, involving 47,200 pills of captagon, popularly known as the “Jihadi drug,” valued at more than N1.5 billion, alongside 3.9 million tablets of Tramaking and Tapentadol valued at more than N4.6 billion.

The agency said the combined value of the seized drugs exceeded N6.2 billion, with the captagon linked to a cross-border drug trafficking kingpin who had arrived in Lagos from Accra, Ghana.

What you should know

In June 2026, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) auctioned four properties forfeited by convicted drug traffickers for a combined N6.15 billion following court orders obtained against the owners.

• The highest-value property sold was a six-floor hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, which fetched N5.9 billion. Other properties sold included a Lekki Phase 1 property for N219.5 million, a block of flats in Ejigbo for N104 million and a property in Akure, Ondo State, for N29.36 million.

The auction involved eight forfeited assets, but four were not sold because the bids received did not meet their approved reserve prices. NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, said the exercise was aimed at ensuring that criminals do not retain the proceeds of illicit activities.