A California man, arrested more than a year ago in Pine Township after police found 44 pounds of cocaine in a minivan in which he was riding, has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge.

He also admitted that he has been using an alias and his attorney put his real name on the record, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti, Pittsburgh.

Jorge Armando Aldama, 26, of North Hollywood, entered his real name and a guilty plea to a charge of possessing with the intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of crack cocaine into the record Monday before U.S. District Court Senior Judge Maurice B. Cohill Jr., Pittsburgh.

Aldama gave authorities the name of Edward Fermaint Caraballo and he was indicted under that name.

Sentencing was set for 9 a.m. Jan. 13.

Aldama has been detained since the Aug. 25, 2002, incident in which the eastbound minivan was stopped by state police for traveling 72 mph on Interstate 80.

Trooper Richard W. Houk found a hidden compartment under the New York-registered van, and had the van towed to the state police barracks.

After a drug-sniffing dog indicated the presence of drugs, police obtained a search warrant and found 20 kilogram-sized bags in the hidden electronic compartment.

A kilogram weighs about 2.2 pounds.

Aldama admitted that he was transporting the cocaine from California to New York to someone named Nina.

Aldama was being paid $3,000 for the trip, and planned to split it with the driver, Gilberto C. Soto of Sun Valley, Calif., said the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, which took over the investigation from state police.

Soto was unaware there were drugs in the van, Aldama told the DEA. Soto was not charged.

Aldama could get a sentence ranging from 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $4 million. The fact that Aldama gave his real name could lessen his sentence, Rivetti said.