The State on Friday rejected the pleas of three Congolese nationals who were caught with cocaine worth an estimated N$610 000.

State prosecutor, Erich Naikaku, related to Magistrate Hileni Kavara that the control prosecutor has indicated to him that he does not accept the intended guilty plea from Arson Mayawoula, who indicated he would face the music alone.

Arson Mayawoula, Castro Ngangu and Elvis Lubaki are facing charges of dealing and/or possession of dangerous dependence producing drugs after they were caught with 1.6kg of cocaine at a roadblock near Windhoek on January 17, 2010.

The three were caught with the cocaine after Mayawoula's car broke down while en route to Windhoek from Zambia. He had called Ngangu and Lubaki to come to his aid when they were nabbed.

According to reports, police became suspicious when Mayawoula left his luggage in the car and only removed a spare tyre. It is alleged that the police found the cocaine in the spare tyre after a search was conducted.

The suspected drug dealers have been remanded in custody since their arrest after several bail attempts, including an appeal on refusal of bail, had failed.

The case was now remanded to June 13 for plea and trial and all three accused are represented by Orben Sibeya. Ngangu had a previous drug related case on which he was acquitted in September 2011, after 530g of cocaine worth N$265 000 was found in a toilet at his house in July of that year.

At that time, Ngangu claimed that the drugs belonged to someone who was visiting him at the house he was renting in Windhoek West.