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Just over six months have passed since five crew members with Toronto-based Pivot Airlines were “arbitrarily detained” in the Dominican Republic for reporting drugs on board a Pivot aircraft to authorities.
Two pilots, two flight attendants, and a mechanic – along with seven passengers – were aboard Pivot’s Bombardier CRJ 100 (C-FWRR) on April 5, preparing for a return flight to Toronto, when the mechanic was asked by Pivot’s operations control center in Toronto to retrieve a door access code from a computer in the aircraft’s avionics bay.
During that routine procedure, the mechanic found several bags in the avionics bay, which he reported to the flight crew. At that time, flight preparations were halted and the captain advised passengers to deplane. It was eventually discovered that the bags contained more than 200 kilograms of cocaine.
According to Pivot CEO Eric Edmondson – who has flown professionally for more than 20 years across numerous industry segments — the crew reported the drugs to Dominican authorities, and although they did exactly what they were supposed to do — and had been fully compliant with authorities from the beginning — they were arrested.
After facing inhumane conditions and receiving death threats from narcotraficantes, the crew were released on bail in late April, under the condition that they remain in the Dominican Republic.
The crew of five have been moved to several different locations for security reasons, and are now living in a “safe house” in a gated community while they wait for the court case to wrap up, Edmondson said.
However, Hurricane Fiona has unfortunately delayed court proceedings. As time goes on, the crew continue to fear for their lives, and morale remains low.
Edmondson stated that a motion was filed on Aug. 31 to dismiss the case “fundamentally on the lack of evidence,” and they’ve been “waiting quietly” since.
He told Skies earlier this year that Dominican authorities concluded that the Pivot aircraft must have been involved in the narcotics trade, as a database search on the jet’s tail number showed, correctly, that it had flown 99 legs in the previous year — mainly in the Caribbean with a few flights to Mexico.
“It was a massive error in their logic,” Edmondson said. “I believe that was the only trigger that tied the crew to the contraband – other than being the people who had informed the authorities about the contraband on the aircraft.”
He said that a quick Google search would have shown the police that Pivot had a capacity purchase agreement with InterCaribbean Airways, a scheduled service and regional charter carrier, from December 2021 to January 2022.
The police also found that Pivot had flown to Suriname on the northeast Atlantic Coast of South America several times in the year prior. But Edmondson noted that Pivot had a contract with a global, publicly-traded mining company to transport its workers during the Covid-19 pandemic every few weeks — which the airline would have gladly presented to the Dominican police if asked.
Edmondson said in May that he was confident there were no legal grounds for reincarcerating the crew, but the review process could see the crew held for up to 12 months without being charged. He shared that they “desperately miss their families.”
Edmondson stated recently that there was “good momentum on the file for a couple of weeks” — until Fiona hit.
The airline has been working with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents the two Pivot pilots being held, as well as the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the flight attendants. Both organizations have been pressing the Canadian government to step in.
Global Affairs Canada recently told CTV News Toronto that “Canadian officials continue to monitor the situation closely, are engaging with local authorities, and providing consular assistance.”
In the meantime, Edmondson is urging Canadians to reconsider traveling to the Dominican Republic to vacation, stating people should “think seriously about the potential consequences.”
He added: “With a total lack of whistleblower protections, any Canadian could be detained for up to six months in a foreign country, just for witnessing a crime. Travel to the Dominican Republic is simply not worth the risk.”
With files from Ken Pole
This situation is outrageous and sounds so typical of other anecdotal stories from DR tourists. The Canadian government should send a military plane and JTF troops there to rescue these ‘hostages’ and should ban all Canadian travel to the country until they are released. That might get their attention since Canadians probably contribute a significant sum to the country’s income.
The Canadian government should be more involved, if this was the USA that was being held they would fly in kick ass and bring everyone home safely. The very least the Canadian government should do is implement a travel ban for all Canadians to the DR.