The prosecutor in the case, west of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, filed papers to free the five airline crew and seven passengers of Pivot Air, a Toronto-based company chartered by the passengers to fly to tropical island. on March 31. It still needs to be certified by a judge, but that is considered a formality. On April 5, as they prepared to fly the group back to Canada, Pivot’s flight engineer discovered 8 duffle bags hidden in the avionics bay in the belly of the plane. The crew immediately notified local authorities. Inside the bags: 210 kilos of cocaine. The crew and passengers had their passports confiscated and were held in what they describe as squalid conditions in a prison in the Dominican Republic. In interviews with W5, the female passengers say their cell was so small and crowded that when they lay down on the cement to sleep, their legs stretched over the bars. They also claim they were punished for crying. In the men’s prison, crew members say they went days without food or water and were under constant threats. The crew spent nine days in jail, the passengers 21, before being released on bail but banned from leaving the country. Since their detention 250 days ago, the crew have been trapped in the Dominican Republic and unable to leave, while authorities say they are investigating how the cocaine ended up on the 50-seat jet. The crew and passengers say they were never interviewed by Dominican government authorities and no charges were ever brought against them. The documents signed today outlined the end of what was described as “coercive measures”, meaning the arrest of the 12 Canadians and the seizure of the plane. It is unclear how long it will take before the 12 Canadians can leave the country and return to Canada. They were told it could take up to two weeks to process the documents. In joyous celebration in the safe house of Pivot Air, crew members hugged each other and wept in disbelief. In an emotional phone call to deliver the good news to his daughter, Pivot Aircraft pilot Rob DiVenanzo tearfully said, “Girl, I’m coming home.” Watch the W5 documentary, “Investigation Cocaine Air” on 10 December 2022