A Flight Crew Detained For Months In The Dominican Is Back In Canada & It Was 'Traumatic'
A flight crew that was detained in the Dominican Republic for seven months is now back home in Canada after hundreds of kilograms of narcotics were found on their plane.
In a statement, Toronto-based charter airline Pivot Airlines called their return home a relief as the crew of five landed at Toronto Pearson Airport on Thursday night and were reunited with their families.
"The crew has demonstrated incredible courage and resilience throughout the harrowing ordeal which saw them wrongly detained in the Dominican Republic for nearly eight months," the company said. "Their steadfast commitment to public safety and the rule of law is a testament to the professionalism of all Canadian air crew."
Over 200 kilograms of cocaine was found aboard the flight that was preparing to leave Punta Cana International Airport for Toronto on April 5, 2022.
The crew members discovered the drugs in a maintenance compartment and reported them to the Dominican authorities, who then took all five crew members and six passengers into custody.
A statement from Unifor — the union representing Bal Krishna Dubey, a part-time electrical mechanic at Pivot Airlines and one of the crew members detained — called the experience "harrowing and traumatic," and commended the crew for reporting the discovery to authorities.
"In doing so, the crew prevented a possible onboard fire, and a probable air disaster resulting from the added weight and unsafe location of the contraband on the plane," the statement reads.
"The crew spent nine days in jail, where they received threats and deplorable cell conditions," Unifor said. "Since being released on bail, they remained under house arrest, enduring this difficult situation while being away from their families."
Dominican laws allow a suspect to be held in custody for up to a year without any charges being laid.
"I am so thankful to be home," Dubey said in a statement through the union. "It's been a long seven months."
Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra called the crew's safe return to Canada a relief as he welcomed them back home in a tweet.
\u201cI\u2019m relieved to see the Pivot crew who were detained in the Dominican Republic since April are back in Canada safely. Welcome back home! \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\u201d— Omar Alghabra (@Omar Alghabra) 1669947478
Details of the drug investigation still remain unclear.
It's also not clear who chartered this flight.
"While we are relieved for the crew’s long overdue return, we know that this incident has taken a heavy toll on their lives, and the lives of their families," Pivot Airlines said in its statement. "For that reason, we are asking media and the public to respect their privacy at this time."
