Mulisa Simiyasa 

OKAHANDJA – The bail application for two suspects linked to the alleged massive drug discovery on a commercial farm in the Hochfeld area was on Tuesday postponed to Thursday after two court interpreters were booked off sick on Tuesday.

The two suspects are 27-year-old Armand Carel Schultz, a South African national and farm manager as well as the farm owner 43-year-old David Strauss van der Linden.

They brought their bail applications on Tuesday morning before magistrate Auguste Simon.

The two were accompanied by their lawyers Bennie van der Westhuyzen for Schultz and Evert Gous representing Van der Linden.

The other two suspects in the case, farm driver Johannes Kamati (61) and Jakob Ganai (43), did not appear.

The State was represented by Advocate Maggy Shiyagaya-Lotto. 

The two accused were arrested on 29 May 2025 after the police discovered a huge cannabis plantation with an estimated street value of more than N$52 million at a commercial farm at Hochfeld in the Okahandja district of the Otjozondjupa region.

The accused face charges of possession and/or dealing in illicit drugs, organised crime and racketeering. 

They were remanded in police custody.

Before the bail application hearing, approximately 100 community members of Okahandja on Tuesday morning opposed the granting of bail to the accused.

The residents handed over a petition to Shiyagaya-Lotto with nearly 5 000 signatures opposing the bail. ‘

They cited public interest, the possibility of absconding and the seriousness of the matter they face.

Namibian Police Force crime investigations coordinator in the Otjozondjupa region Edna Nawa on 31 May 2025 told Nampa that the discovery of the cannabis was made through an intelligence-driven operation. -Nampa