The Canadian airline crew that is being held in the Dominican Republic released a video appealing to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for help.
The crew of a Pivot Airlines flight said they reported suspected drugs on board their aircraft and, after reporting them to local authorities, they were detained.
Pivot Airlines is based in Mississauga, Ont., operating from Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The drugs were found on April 6 at Punta Cana International Airport, according to the Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control.
“Two months ago we discovered suspected contraband on board our aircraft destined for Canada,” a pilot with the crew who identified himself as Rob said in a video shared by the airline on Twitter.
“We reported it immediately to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Dominican authorities. The Dominicans threw us in jail.”
The crew was initially imprisoned before being released on bail.
In May, Dominican Republic prosecutors sought to return the crew to jail for up to 12 months, according to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), a union representing the crew.
A report by the National Post said Dominican Republic prosecutors are alleging the airliner was a drug-smuggling front, despite offering little actual evidence.
“It is entirely unacceptable that our members have been thrown in jail for doing their jobs, and dutifully reporting a crime,” Tim Perry, the president of ALPA Canada said.
The crew described gruesome conditions during their incarceration and pleaded with the Canadian government to help.
“We have been threatened with death by narco criminals, extorted by inmates and have lived in inhumane and humiliating conditions,” the pilot said.
He described the situation as a “nightmare,” saying the crew could be sent back to jail “at a moment’s notice.”
Another member of the crew, who did not identify herself when she spoke, said the Dominican Republic authorities had not “questioned, interviewed or interrogated” the crew at any point since they were detained.
Global Affairs Canada has previously said it was aware of the crew and continues to “monitor the situation closely.”
Parliamentary Secretary Maninder Sidhu also travelled to the Dominican Republic and met with local government officials, where he raised the incident involving Pivot Airlines, the federal government said.
Global Affairs Canada reiterated its previous statements on Tuesday.
Trudeau met with the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, on the margins of the Summit of the Americas on June 10, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The leaders recognized the many ties between their countries in trade and investment, as well as in the tourism sector,” a public statement said.
The statement also said Trudeau “raised the case of the Canadian air crew in the Dominican Republic” and that he was given “assurances that the authorities will address the matter according to the rule of law.”
The crew is currently out on bail but cannot leave the Dominican Republic.
— with files from Global News’ Ryan Rocca
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