The ordeal began in early April this year, when the five-member crew of a Pivot Airlines flight from Calgary to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, found a strange bag on the plane and reported it to authorities. More bags were then discovered, and local police say they eventually found more than 200 kilograms of cocaine on the plane. Crew members, including two pilots, two flight attendants and an engineer, have since been banned from leaving the country. WATCHES | The crew of the Canadian plane held in the Dominican Republic is pleading for help:
Canadian flight crew held in Dominican Republic appeal for help
Five Pivot Airlines crew members are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to help after they were arrested in the Dominican Republic in April for alerting police to millions of dollars worth of cocaine found on their plane. Canadian authorities and the airline itself are working with local authorities to allow the crew to leave, and an agreement was reached on Friday. “Earlier today, documents were filed for the release of five Pivot crew members held in the Dominican Republic for 220 days after reporting suspected contraband on their aircraft,” Pivot CEO Eric Edmondson said in a statement to CBC News. “We are deeply relieved that these five Canadians will soon return to their families and loved ones,” he said.
“Beyond Relief”
Captain Rob Di Venanzo told CBC News in a statement that the crew was “mostly relieved.” “These past seven months have been the hardest thing any of us have ever experienced. We have lived in constant uncertainty away from our loved ones and our lives. Today, the nightmare is finally one step closer to ending,” he said. “Although we paid an unimaginable price, we know we did the right thing by reporting these drugs seven months ago.” He may be one step closer to being home, but it’s still unclear when exactly that will happen. “We urge the Dominican Republic authorities to begin the process of releasing the crew without delay,” Edmondson said. “Due to this uncertainty and the very real possibility of unforeseen delays, we do not yet have a timetable for the return of the crew.”
