Eric Edmondson, CEO of Pivot Airlines, sent a letter to Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly urging the Caribbean country to ensure the safe return of the crew to Canada. “For more than 24 days, our crew has been under threat of death, inhuman treatment and arbitrary detention to report a crime and prevent a possible air disaster,” Edmondson wrote. “Time is of the essence.” Five Pivot Airlines crew members and six passengers were due to return to Canada from Punta Cana on April 5 by chartered aircraft. Prior to take-off, an engineer discovered suspicious smuggling on board and police in Canada and the Dominican Republic were alerted. If the plane had taken off, Mr Edmonson said, the smuggling site could have sparked an uncontrolled fire. The Dominican authorities detained all 11 people on the plane, sending men and women to separate facilities, according to the airline. On April 6, the Dominican Republic National Directorate of Drug Control issued a statement saying the group was “being investigated to determine their possible involvement” in the attempt to smuggle illegal drugs. 200 kilos of cocaine were hidden from the plane, hidden in eight gym bags. Mr Edmonson said the men had been sent to a jail for drug offenders and had been harassed and beaten. The airline hired someone to make sure Pivot staff were fed and protected to some degree in prison, he said. The group has received a guarantee, but is not allowed to leave the Dominican Republic. Local prosecutors are trying to appeal the court’s bail decision. It is not clear when the hearing will take place. Mr Edmonson said prosecutors had no evidence linking the crew to cocaine. The death threats continued after their release and the airline has hired private security and regularly transported the crew to avoid detection. Passengers have a separate legal advisor and do not stay with airline staff. Mr Edmonson said crew members feared their return to prison would be a death sentence. “It’s a one-way ticket,” he said. “They do not think they will get out of this prison if they are put back.” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that it was aware of the Pivot Airlines incident and that Canadian officials were monitoring the situation, contacting local authorities and providing consular assistance. Adrian Blanchard, Joly’s press secretary, also said that parliamentary secretary Maninder Sidhu had recently traveled to the Dominican Republic and met with government officials. Mr Edmonson said the government needed to do more. “The government, we believe, must step up and intervene. “It is unacceptable for a Canadian airline crew to be imprisoned illegally,” he said. The federal government urges Canadians to be extra careful when traveling to the Dominican Republic, citing violent and opportunistic crime. The Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment. Family members confirmed the identity of one of the passengers as photographer Brittney Wojcik-Harrison from Calgary. A cousin of hers, Bella Harrison, said the family learned of her imprisonment last Thursday from a Dominican lawyer. “It looks like a movie and when it did, I could hardly believe it,” said Ms Harrison, adding that her cousin was on holiday in Punta Cana. “It’s not really good. “She’m just trying to keep her head above water.” Ms Harrison said Global Affairs Canada had provided little information to the family because of the privacy policy. He said Ms Wojcik-Harrison was safe. “I’m really shocked because I’m proud to be Canadian all my life and just seeing how little he cares about this person who will literally never get involved, I just do not understand,” she said. said Harrison. “How can they just forget 11 people?” The Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
