The Canadian crew of a passenger plane that has not been able to leave the Dominican Republic in the more than seven months, despite everything, has permission to return home.
The ordeal began in early April of this year, when the five-person team of a Pivot Airlines flight from Calgary to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, discovered a bag aboard the plane and reported it to authorities.
More bags were later discovered and local police said they eventually discovered more than two hundred kilograms of cocaine aboard the plane.
The team members, plus two pilots, two flight attendants and a mechanic, were allowed to leave the country.
The Canadian government and the airline itself worked with the local government to allow the team to depart, and an agreement was reached on Friday.
“Earlier today, documents were presented to the five members of the Pivot team who were detained in the Dominican Republic for 220 days after reporting suspected smuggling on their aircraft,” Eric Edmondson, Pivot’s executive director, told CBC News in a statement.
“We are deeply relieved that those five Canadians will soon be returning home to their families and enjoyed them,” he said.
Captain Rob Di Venanzo told CBC News that the team was “beyond relieved. “
“The last seven months have been the hardest thing we’ve ever experienced. We have lived in constant uncertainty far from those we enjoy and our lives. Today the nightmare is still over,” he said.
“Even though we paid a price, we know we did the right thing by reporting those drugs seven months ago. “
They may be about to return home, but it’s not yet clear when that will happen.
“We urge the government of the Dominican Republic to begin the process of releasing the equipment without delay,” Edmondson said. “Due to this uncertainty and the very real possibility of unforeseen delays, we still have a timeline for the team’s return. “. “
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