‘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’
After reporting to police what turned out to be 200 kilograms of cocaine stowed aboard their jet, a Canadian charter airline alleges its pilots and flight attendants are being held in unsafe, inhumane conditions in the Dominican Republic.
The plane, a Bombardier regional jet that flew under the Air Canada Express flag until two years ago, is being held at Punta Cana airport after the drugs were discovered late last week.
Pivot Airlines said the contraband was discovered in a maintenance compartment containing “important” electrical equipment, and that it was reported to both local officials and the RCMP.
ALIJO OCUPADO EN AVIÓN POSITIVO A COCAÍNAhttps://t.co/mJl7gT7r5V#DNCDCambia #TodosUnidos #DNCDRD pic.twitter.com/2noJJtvYK3
— Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas (@DNCDRD) April 7, 2022
When a maintenance technician on board discovered a single bag, he opened a small door under the plane’s fuselage to get access to the “avionics bay.”
According to a source familiar with the matter, the man immediately reported the discovery, unsure whether it was contraband, a bomb, or anything else. The other seven sacks were discovered after Dominican police scoured the area.
According to the company, the personnel prevented a potential air disaster that may have been caused by the excess weight and flammable items being close to electrical equipment.
Because of the sensitivity of the situation, the avionics bay is in a tiny crawl area and requires sufficient ventilation to avoid overheating, which would have been disrupted by the array of cocaine packets, according to the source.
INVESTIGAN ONCE PERSONAS POR INCAUTACIÓN DE 200 PAQUETES PRESUMIBLEMENTE COCAÍNA EN AEROPUERTO @CESAC_RD @ProcuraduriaRD https://t.co/OhRPUAo7JM#DNCDRD #TodosUnidos #Decomiso #DNCD pic.twitter.com/SnO5xQFR4Q
— Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas (@DNCDRD) April 6, 2022
The members of the crew are now being incarcerated in separate detention centers. The men are being held in a common cell with suspected drug dealers, according to a statement from the firm.
“They do not speak the language, have been identified as reporting the contraband to authorities, and fear for their safety,” said Pivot. “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.”
On Tuesday, there appeared to be some encouraging news. According to Pivot, a Dominican judge determined at a hearing to “ameliorate the conditions” for the team and detailed a route for their ultimate release.
“We are grateful for the decision and are working diligently to secure their release,” it said.
The jet was previously operated by a subcontractor that carried 1.5 million people annually on Air Canada Express flights until going bankrupt after Air Canada terminated the contract in late 2019.
My phone blew up when this happened… it’s a big deal
Today, the identical CRJ-100 – now painted plain white – sits at Punta Cana after officers discovered more than 200 kilograms of cocaine – worth nearly $25 million in street value – inside the plane, according to the country’s anti-narcotics agency. It arrived on March 31 and was supposed to fly to Toronto the next day.
The jet’s two pilots and two flight attendants, three of whom had crewed those Air Canada flights until recently, are among the nine Canadians detained for questioning.
Pivot is a new charter company that sprang from the demise of Air Georgian, an Air Canada subcontractor where many of the country’s commercial pilots started their careers. According to a former Georgian pilot who frequently flew the Dominican Republic’s plane, the industry is buzzing about the incident.
“My phone blew up when this happened: everyone who worked there, pilots, flight attendants, it’s a big deal,” the ex-crew member said.
“I actually didn’t believe it at first,” said the pilot, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic in Canada’s small aviation industry. “All four of (the crew) I personally know, I’ve worked with all of them. My brain was trying to process: how could this be happening?”
According to a news statement from the Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD), the plane was inspected in response to an intelligence report and eight black gym bags containing 200 bricks of cocaine were discovered.
According to a news release from the agency, the suitcases were stashed in some of the airliner’s “control compartments.”
“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.”
Officials in the Dominican Republic claim investigators discovered more than 200 kilograms of cocaine inside the jet, with a market value of around $25 million.
Officials in the Dominican Republic claim investigators discovered more than 200 kilograms of cocaine inside the jet, with a market value of around $25 million.
The “control compartments” where the cocaine was allegedly discovered, according to the former Georgian pilot, are places that ground workers might have access to, but not pilots or flight attendants.
Cocaine is not made in the Caribbean, nor are coca plants grown there, thus it most likely came from Colombia, Peru, or Bolivia, according to Jason Eligh, a senior analyst with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
Given the extreme scrutiny that flights arriving from any of those coke-producing countries receive, traffickers often route them through other countries first, he said, with the West Indies being a favorite.
“It’s a wonderful place in that you’ve got a lot of islands, you’ve got a great ability to hide marine vessels,” said Eligh. “Geographically it’s a very good waypoint.”
He also stated that criminals often transport illicit substances by plane, even commercial passenger planes and that the vast majority of the contraband reaches its target without being detected. In the past, baggage handlers and other ground workers – as well as aircrew – have been found to be involved, according to Eligh.
And, he added, it takes time for cops to intercept shipments like the one on the Pivot jet.
“It’s probably not the first time this route has been used,” said Eligh. “You don’t make a seizure on the first time someone has been exploiting a particular route.”
According to the FlightRadar24 website, the plane, registered as C-FWRR and still displaying the 105 “tail number” used when it flew Air Canada Express flights, has traveled extensively in the Caribbean over the last year.
Since mid-December, almost all of its 65 flights have gone to or from the Caribbean, including stops in the Dominican Republic, Saint Martin, Jamaica, Nassau, Puerto Rico, and Antigua.
Since April 20, 2021, the plane has made the most trips to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, flying in and out more than 65 times. It flew scheduled flights for Inter-Caribbean Airlines, which is based in the Turks and Caicos, earlier this year.
Suriname, a tiny, jungle-covered country in the northeast corner of South America, was another popular destination, with 18 landings and takeoffs in the previous year.
A mining firm had hired Pivot to transport its personnel to and from Suriname. According to Colombia-based InSight Crime, the country also transfers “tons” of cocaine.
