Okahandja: Four male suspects linked to the alleged massive drug discovery at a commercial farm in the Hochfeld area on Wednesday, appeared in the Okahandja Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The suspects, who are facing serious drug-related charges, are accused of being involved in a large-scale cannabis operation uncovered by the police.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the Otjozondjupa police on Wednesday morning discovered a huge plantation of cannabis with an estimated street value of more than N.dollars 52 million inside a commercial farm at Hochfeld in the Okahandja district of the Otjozondjupa region. The accused include 27-year-old Armand Carel Schultz, a South African national and farm manager, farm owner 43-year-old David Strauss Van Der Linden, 61-year-old farm driver Johannes Kamati, and 43-year-old Jakob Ganai, who was arrested near the same farm with a large cannabis consignment worth about N.dollars 100 000 in his bag.
They all appeared before acting magistrate Kito Paulus on charges of possession and/or dealing in drugs, organised crime, and racketeering. During the hearing, the accused indicated their intention to engage the services of private lawyers for their bail application hearing set for 23 June 2025. Public prosecutor Sirkka Nangoro represented the State and opposed bail, citing that police investigations have just begun.
The accused were subsequently remanded in custody, with their case postponed to 21 August 2025 for further police investigations. Namibian Police Force crime investigations coordinator in the Otjozondjupa Region, Deputy Commissioner Edna Nawa, upon enquiry on Thursday, told Nampa that the shocking discovery was made through an intelligence-driven operation that commenced in Okahandja early Wednesday morning at approximately 04:30.
She revealed that dried and fresh cannabis being irrigated with a system on a 1.55-hectare land was found on the farm. “It was also discovered that five rooms of corrugated iron sheets were being used for drying purposes, packaging, and loading of cannabis on the farm,” Nawa said. Police investigations are ongoing.