– says relative killed because he cooperated
A relative of Guyanese Gavin Waaldijk, the man who was arrested in the US last year for attempting to import a large quantity of cocaine into that country, was brutally murdered reportedly because Waaldijk was cooperating with lawmen.
Lawyers for Waaldijk, who is awaiting sentencing in a US court, claimed that the man attempted to import the illegal substance after being forced to do so by family members in Guyana one of whom was Viola Weeks, who was a bread vendor on Sheriff Street.
Weeks was brutally murdered in neighbouring Suriname shortly after Waaldijk’s August 1 arrest and according to court papers seen by this newspaper she was killed because he had cooperated with lawmen in the US. The man has since told the court and his probation officer that two men who had accompanied a cousin of his to meet him had assaulted him with pistols.
The court documents, filed by the lawyers in their quest to have the man receive a sentence below the recommended sentence guideline range, said there was no question that the 24-year-old man transported a large quantity of cocaine into the US.
“There are, however, indications that Mr Waaldijk did so under duress or at the very least, strong persuasion by members of his family who live(d) in Guyana. Unfortun-ately, one of these family members, Viola Weeks was murdered in Suriname following his arrest. Indications are that this murder was related to Mr Waaldijk’s arrest at JFK airport, and his immediate cooperation after being taken into custody,” the court documents stated. It was revealed that information provided to law agents by the man resulted in them making numerous phone calls in an effort to broaden the investigation into the seizure of the cocaine at the airport.
The man’s lawyers said he has accepted full responsibility for his actions but pointed out that he had no prior arrests or convictions. It was stated that he has extensive ties in the United States and has spent some time in the New York area, after having travelled there on a tourist visa.
The lawyers mentioned Waaldijk’s two aunts, one of whom runs a day care centre, and another who is a nurse. They said he also has other close family members in the area, none of whom have criminal records. Stating that he was fearful his life, Waaldijk wrote a letter to Judge Carol Amon in which he stated how sorry he was and indicated that his actions had not only caused embarrassment to him but also his immediate relatives who are of good standing from Linden. His lawyers pointed out that the man did not hesitate to admit his guilt when he was confronted by agents at the airport while adding that the offence was clearly a surprise to his family members including his mother, who has since travelled to the US to attend several of her son’s court appearances. “…Mr Waaldikj obviously displayed poor judgement, but the contrition he has demonstrated thus far would lead one to believe that he would not engage in similar illegal behaviour in the future,” the lawyers said. Further, the lawyers said that the man has been incarcerated for over eight months and as such a sentence of one year and one day would be sufficient.
“The defendant’s account is credible in that it seems clear that the defendant was importing cocaine for a major drug lord in Guyana. Furthermore, there has been no information from any other source which would call into question these claims made by the defendant,” the documents said.
It was on August 1 last year that the man went to the US on a TravelSpan flight. On arrival in New York, where cargo and passengers are subject to inspection by US Customs officials, a narcotics-detecting dog alerted the authorities to a suitcase bearing his name. Customs and Border Patrol authorities found 31 brick-shaped objects, identified as cocaine, wrapped in plastic, which when weighed amounted to 35.078 kilogrammes. When the US authorities found Waaldijk he had one piece of carry-on luggage and another suitcase with the corresponding tag.
Waaldijk will be sentenced on May 7.
