A Canadian charter airline says some of its pilots and crew are among the nine Canadians detained in the Dominican Republic after reporting 200 kilograms of cocaine found stashed away on board to local police.
The airline says its crew members are held in separate detention facilities, with the male being placed inside a communal cell with accused drug criminals.
“They do not speak the language, have been identified as reporting the contraband to authorities, and fear for their safety,” Pivot said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned for the safety, security, and ethical and humane treatment of our crew.”
“It is unacceptable that a Canadian aircrew could remain detained for the duration of a potential twelve-month investigation for a suspected crime that they reported.”
Pivot said a maintenance worker who was part of the crew discovered 200 kilograms of cocaine—which is worth roughly $25 million in street value—in the control compartment under the fuselage of its aircraft CRJ-100. Unsure what the package contained, the man reported his discovery to local police and the RCMP, an unidentified source told the National Post.
Upon searching the plane, Dominican police found seven other bags, each containing 25 packs, totalling 200 packs of cocaine in all.
The source said the worker discovered the contraband while trying to access the “avionics bay,” a space that requires good airflow to avoid overheating that would have been jeopardized by the stash of cocaine.
The aircraft, a Bombardier regional jet, has been held at the Punta Cana International airport in the eastern Dominican Republic since the discovery of the drugs last week.“An extensive investigation process has been initiated around this case,” it said. “The Public Ministry, assisted by DNCD agents, are working hard to clearly establish who is directly linked to the seizure of the substance.”
A hearing to determine if the Canadians would be kept in custody longer was tentatively scheduled for April 12.
