Canadian Airline Urges Ottawa to Repatriate Crew Detained in Dominican Republic After Reporting 200 Kg of Cocaine Found on Plane

Pivot Airlines also wants the federal government to issue a ‘stronger’ travel advisory for the Caribbean country

The Punta Cana International airport in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 28, 2020. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

A charter flight company whose crew was detained in the Dominican Republic is asking the Canadian government to issue a travel advisory for the Caribbean destination, a position echoed by the Air Line Pilots Association of Canada (ALPA Canada).

Eric Edmonson, CEO of Pivot Airlines, has been urging the federal government to step in after five of his crew, along with six passengers, were detained by Dominican authorities after reporting that a stash of cocaine was found on board their plane on April 5.

“What we want [the government] to do is, first and foremost, repatriate our crew who have had no evidence of their involvement in this supposed crime,” said Edmonson in an interview on Global News’ Roy Green Show on May 8.

Edmonson is also calling on the government to issue a “stronger” travel advisory for the Caribbean destination.

“There are some 1 million Canadians who travel to the Dominican Republic, and they should be made aware that there is no due process being afforded to our crew. They should be aware that there’s no whistleblower protection,” he said.

“[The crew] were not just out on the street and witnessed a crime. They were doing their jobs, and reported their jobs by every international standard. They have reported what they thought was a crime by every international standard, and they ended up being arbitrarily detained. Every Canadian traveler should reconsider travel to the Dominican Republic.”

ALPA Canada echoed the same sentiment. In a notice issued in April, the association warned airline crews and its members to exercise “extra vigilance” and maintain the “highest levels of awareness” when travelling in and out of the Caribbean country.

The Pivot Airlines crew members and passengers were scheduled to return to Toronto from Punta Cana on a chartered aircraft on April 5. Prior to taking off, a mechanic accompanying the flight discovered a bag of suspected contraband in a maintenance compartment of the aircraft.

“Following proper protocols, policies, and laws, they contacted local authorities and the RCMP immediately,” ALPA Canada said. “Because of the location of the contraband onboard the aircraft, in doing so, the crew also contributed to air safety by preventing a possible onboard fire or electrical problems that could have resulted in a catastrophic air disaster.”

The Dominican authorities jailed all 11 people on the plane at the time.

In a press release on April 6, the Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD) announced that 200 packages of presumed cocaine, stashed in “eight black packages,” were allegedly found in the Bombardier-built CRJ-100 jet, which Pivot Airlines owns.

“Each containing 25 packages, for a total of 200,” the release read.

According to the release, nine Canadians, one Indian national, and another person from the Dominican Republic were “being questioned to determine their possible involvement.” The anti-narcotics agency confirmed the next day that the seized cocaine weighed over 200 kilograms, which is worth roughly $25 million in street value.

On April 14, the crew consisting of two pilots, two flight attendants, and a mechanic, along with the six passengers, were released on bail after having spent 10 days in a “horrific detention center,” according to Edmonson in a Linkedin post in late April.

The 11 were freed at an undetermined time on payment of 1 million pesos—about $23,000—bail each, reported the National Post on April 14, and on condition that they remain in the Dominican Republic until the matter is resolved.

Edmonson confirmed that prosecutors in the Dominican Republic are now challenging the bail.

“Shockingly, in the appeal documentation, one would think if you’re going to appeal the judge’s decision to release on bail, that you would either point to an error in the law, which they did not, or that you would point to evidence that has come to light since that decision, and the prosecutor failed to do that as well,” he said on the Roy Green Show.

The CEO added that under Dominican laws, one can be held without charges or the assumption of guilt for 12 months in complex cases during an investigation. He is concerned that if the prosecutors succeed in their appeal, his crew will be put back in jail alongside alleged narcotics criminals.

“[The crew members] have been now widely described in the Dominican as having informed the police of the narcotics. And of course, that’s an extremely serious situation when you’re detained with suspected narcotics smugglers, and your crew members informed on those smugglers,” he said.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Dominican embassy in Ottawa for comment, but did not receive a reply by publication time.

On April 27, the airline division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said it is “deeply concerned” about the plight of the crew members.

“Our members followed the rules and did everything by the book, and yet this still happened, which is gravely concerning,” said Airline Division President Wesley Lesosky.

CUPE said it also signed a letter along with Pivot Airlines, ALPA Canada, and Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, calling on the federal government “to do everything in its power to bring our members and the entire flight crew back to Canada.”

“While Pivot Airlines has taken every possible precaution, including hiring private security and regularly relocating the crew, it has become clear that additional political intervention is required,” said the letter, addressed to Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Maninder Sidhu.

“The continued threats and prosecution of the Pivot Airlines crew also raises serious concerns for all Canadian travellers and employees travelling to and working in the Dominican Republic.”

According to the website of the Dominican embassy in Ottawa, Sidhu visited the Dominican Republic on April 21, on behalf of Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly, with the “objective of promoting collaboration between both nations.”

In an email statement to The Epoch Times on May 9, Global Affairs Canada said the “government’s first priority is always the safety and security of its citizens.”

“Global Affairs Canada is aware of the incident involving Pivot Airlines in the Dominican Republic. Canadian officials continue to monitor the situation closely, are engaging with local authorities, and providing consular assistance,” spokesman Jason Kung said.

“Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”