Magistrate Thomas Kanime granted Dos Santos (21) bail of N$10 000 in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura on Wednesday, a little over a month after he had turned down a first bail application from Dos Santos.

The State's attitude with regard to Dos Santos's wish to be released from custody has changed in the meantime, with the result that Public Prosecutor OJ Lino told the Magistrate on Wednesday that the State was no longer opposed to him being granted bail.

Dos Santos, who is registered as a student with the Polytechnic of Namibia and has been living in Namibia since 1997, is charged with dealing in dangerous dependence-producing drugs, alternatively possessing such drugs.

He was arrested at Hosea Kutako International Airport outside Windhoek on July 5.

The Police allege that he had gone to the airport to pick up luggage that was supposedly registered under the name of his mother, who is claimed to have visited São Paulo in Brazil the previous month.

It was however discovered that the baggage contained 76 packets of human hair - used as hair extensions in the hairstyling trade - that also contained a yet to be determined quantity of cocaine, the Police have claimed.

It is alleged that the hair had been soaked in a solution of cocaine in order to hide the drugs.

Dos Santos is the first person to have been arrested in Namibia for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into the country using this method.

He has denied knowing that there were any drugs in the luggage that he admitted he had gone to fetch at the airport.

The N$10 000 deposit needed to secure Dos Santos's release from custody was paid on Wednesday.

The bail came with a set of conditions.

Dos Santos has to report to the Windhoek Police Station every morning, he may not interfere with the Police investigation of his case or with any State witnesses in the matter, he has to surrender his passport to the Police, and he may not leave the Windhoek district without the permission of the Police officer investigating his case.

Dos Santos has to appear in court again on November 2.

Defence lawyer Linus Mokhatu, from the firm Metcalfe Legal Practitioners, is representing him.

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