Former NZ baseball player pleads guilty to kidnapping Gold Coast man over drugs that never existed

A former New Zealand baseball player is facing deportation after pleading guilty to kidnapping a man on the Gold Coast while on a hunt for drugs that didn't exist.

Dewald De Klerk kidnapped a man from Labrador, who was then forced into his own BMW and driven across the Gold Coast for an hour and a half before he was able to flee the car when it was stopped at a red light and run to a nearby petrol station.

The court was told the victim had lied to a housemate that he had half a kilogram of cocaine.

De Klerk and an alleged accomplice wanted the would-be drugs.

The pair went to the victim's apartment on Marine Parade, where the victim was held at knifepoint and De Klerk threatened to kill him and cut off his fingers, according to police.

They also took 96 bottles of hemp gummy bears, worth about $6500, from the unit.

"(Your actions were) premeditated, violent, chaotic, lawless and utterly deplorable," Judge Geraldine Dann said.

Today De Klerk, a former catcher for New Zealand's under-18 baseball team, was sentenced to four years behind bars, suspended after 14 months.

With time already served, he was released on parole today and now faces deportation.