The majority of drug trafficking cases in Namibia are linked to individual suspects or small independent distributors and not to any organised cartel or syndicate.

Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, Lucia Iipumbu, said this in response to questions from Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) leader Longinus Iipumbu, who questioned whether cartels are at the forefront of drug trafficking operations in the country, particularly referring to the seizure of drugs worth over N$6 million during June and July last year.

Minister Luccia Iipumbu said more than 300 Namibians were arrested during June and July last year, with only a few being foreign nationals.

"Those that were recorded at that point in time were 339 Namibians, nine Angolans, one from Eswatini, one from Tanzania, three from Uganda, five from Zambia, and one from Zimbabwe, and that brings the total number of those that were arrested during that period to 359 suspects."

The minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to fighting illicit drugs and organised crime.

"The ministry welcomes robust oversight and remains committed to intensifying intelligence-led policing, strengthening border and port control, and pursuing the higher-level organisers and profiters behind this trade while protecting the integrity of ongoing investigations and prosecutions."