The Guyanese man held in the US in August with 35 kilogrammes of cocaine has changed his plea to the charge of importing narcotics into the US to guilty and will be sentenced next year.

Gavin Waaldijk, a 23-year-old Lindener, pleaded guilty to the charge in a New York court on Wednesday last and will be sentenced by US District Judge Bagley Anon on March 7, 2008 at 10.30 am.

Waaldijk had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge of knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully importing cocaine into the United States. On Wednesday he was advised of his rights before he entered his guilty plea. His lawyer David Epstein and Prosecutor Steve D’ Alessandro had started plea bargain discussions on November 28.

Waaldijk had boarded Travelspan airline Flight Number 053 on Emancipation Day and was intercepted at the JFK Airport by officers using a narcotics detecting dog.

The dog alerted the authorities to a suitcase bearing the tag 813711 in the name of the Guyanese. Upon opening the suitcase, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) authorities found 31 brick-shaped objects wrapped in plastic which when weighed amounted to 35.078 kilogrammes. When held by the US authorities, Waaldijk had one piece of carry-on luggage and another suitcase with the tag 813712. According to the complaint sworn to by Special Agent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thomas Cadwallader, a search was conducted on his person and two Travelspan claim tickets matching the suitcases were found along with a key which opened the lock on the bag that had the drugs.