Former Minister of Health Dr Noel Blackman yesterday pleaded guilty in a New York court to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, a controlled substance, and is expected to be sentenced early next year.
According to a court document seen by Stabroek News, Blackman, who was charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of the painkiller, oxycodone, pleaded guilty to count one of his indictment before Judge Joanna Seybert and will be sentenced on January 6, 2017 at 11 am.
Blackman had pleaded not guilty to the two charges on February 26, 2016 but earlier this month court documents revealed that he had entered into plea negotiations with the US Government. Since his arrest in February he has been in custody since he was deemed a flight risk. On February 7th, 2016, he was taken off of a plane which was about to leave the JFK Airport bound for Guyana.
On February 25th, a US grand jury indicted Blackman and Wascar Castillo, the former office manager of a Queens, New York pain management office where Blackman previously worked for conspiracy to distribute and distribution of oxycodone.