Trending 
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a secret laboratory where “colos,” a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, was being produced inside a residential building in Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos.
The discovery was announced in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to Mr Babafemi, the agency’s operatives seized large quantities of freshly manufactured colos, alongside several precursor chemicals used in drug production. The 30-year-old owner of the illegal lab was also arrested during the operation.
He explained that the breakthrough came after months of intelligence gathering on suspected colos laboratories operating in Lagos. The agency had earlier intercepted consignments of the synthetic drug in March and May 2025, which raised concerns about local production.
Mr Babafemi said, “The effort paid off on Thursday, October 30, when NDLEA officers raided the residential apartment in Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos. The suspect had converted it into a laboratory for cooking colos, a strain of cannabis produced with the psychoactive plant and various chemicals.”
He added, “Recovered from the apartment include freshly cooked colos weighing 16.2 kilograms; ADB-CHMNACA cannabinoid – 1.7kg; potassium carbonate – 4.5kg; and dibromobutane – 91 litres.”
Mr Babafemi noted that this development confirms fears that the dangerous psychoactive drug, once imported, is now being manufactured locally.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, November 1, stormed the hideout of a 28-year-old drug dealer in Mushin. “Sixteen compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, as well as designer sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing 16.4kg were recovered from him,” Babafemi stated.
Meanwhile, the agency also arrested a music artist known by his stage name “Steady Boy” on Thursday, October 30. The suspect allegedly attempted to collect a large consignment of Loud — a potent form of cannabis — hidden inside three cartons of bathtubs.
Mr Babafemi explained, “This followed the seizure of the shipment which arrived at the import shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, from the US aboard a DHL flight on Tuesday, October 28. The 20-year-old music artist was nabbed at Bougain Villa, Primewater Gardens 2, Freedom Way, Lekki, Lagos, when he showed up as the consignee to take delivery of the 140 bags of Loud.”
He said the drugs, with a combined weight of 77.20kg, were being transported on behalf of a criminal syndicate. “The syndicate includes his manager, Zion Osazee Omigie (a.k.a. Zee Money), who is currently at large,” Babafemi added.
