Windhoek — The N$70 000 bail that was granted to record dagga haul suspect, Richard Blaau, was reduced in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Magistrate Stanley Mwilima Tembwe reduced the bail to N$30 000 after Blaau's lawyer Orben Sibeya told the court the accused's family could only raise that amount.

Sibeya told Magistrate Mwilima that if the family were in a position to raise the N$70 000, his client would already be out on bail. He argued bail should not be excessively high so as to amount in essence to a refusal of bail.

When he conceded to the defence's request Magistrate Mwilima emphasized that the reduction in bail does not mean that the seriousness of the offence the accused is facing is overlooked.

The conditions for bail remain that Blaau does not interfere with police investigations and that he reports every Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 08h00 to 13h00 at the offices of the Windhoek Drug Enforcement Unit.

The last condition stipulates that Blaau not be allowed to leave the Windhoek District without the consent of the investigating officer.

Blaau was arrested on August 22 near Brakwater in the Windhoek District when the police found 24 bags containing 2 301 brown paper packets of dagga in the truck that he was driving at the time of the seizure. The value of the cannabis is estimated at N$1.8 million. The case was remanded to February 21 next year for further investigation.