I also watched a very interesting true story on TV about an Irish female model who worked in Ibiza and then got a drug-dealing boyfriend. She soon became a drug mule and got arrested in Lima while trying to board a flight to Spain. But she made the point that the drug dealers frequently offer up a drug mule to the authorities, especially a pretty photogenic one, just so that the authorities can show they are "winning the war on drugs". Meanwhile while she is arrested for 10kg of cocaine, there is a plane-load departing from the next gate.
- Thread starter Dolores
- Start date
Chartered jet retained at PUJ after suspected shipment found on board
One of my favourite characters but I prefer Peter Sellers. I have the complete set of Clouseau movies. Martin was good but Seller’s was better. The scene that still cracks me up is the one where Clouseau (Sellers) is checking into a hotel and a dog starts pissing on his leg. He tells the clerk and the clerk replies,” But monsieur, it’s not my dog.” 🤣🤣
Maybe DR enforcement could use a Clouseau to investigate the drug seizure. Then again, maybe they have a lot of them. That may be the reason the flight crew is in jail. 🤣
My guess is the product arrived in the DR via Venezuela by boat/aircraft and was loaded on the aircraft by handlers in Punta Cana. A three day window gives them plenty of time to stow the drugs. Private aircraft are usually parked in an area with other private aircraft on an area of tarmac away from the commercial jet operations area. Probably loaded the night or early morning before departure. I read a post recently about the continual problem of large numbers of airport staff being charged for drug snuggling crimes at Santo Domingo airport. I imagine Punta Cana is no different.
No. When we board the announcement from the cockpit is, This is Captain ———- speaking. Welcome aboard. Your first officer today is ————-. The senior flight attendant does the same thing.
I see no easy way out of this for the flight crew, innocent or guilty. Reminds me of a DR court case I read about where a gringo was convicted of causing the accident even though he was innocent. The judge said he was guilty because if he had not been there, the accident would not have happened. The legal logic of that escapes me.
Bavaro News had an update on this yesterday. Apparently everyone involved must pay a bond of $1mil pesos, appear in court periodically, and are prohibited from leaving the country. https://bavaronews.com/imponen-garantia-economica-a-implicados-de-alijo-de-drogas-en-punta-cana/
Glad to hear it. Maybe the light at the end of the freedom tunnel for the flight crew. The company will put them up in decent accommodations. $25,000 Canadian per individual is a hefty bail bond price. Wonder if they will release the aircraft? Permanent seizure would be a big financial hit to the fledging company.
That's nothing.
Had they been caught doing this a little further north, you could tack on two more zeros to their bond amounts.
Hopefully, the company will put up the bond, also.
On a related note:
1.6 tons of cocaine were confiscated in Peravia, in addition to the 1.1 tons that were confiscated in Caucedo a few days ago.
listindiario.com
1.6 tons of cocaine were confiscated in Peravia, in addition to the 1.1 tons that were confiscated in Caucedo a few days ago.
Ocupan 1.6 tonelada de droga en Peravia, diez días después de incautar 1.1 en Punta Caucedo
Este es el segundo alijo de más de una tonelada en diez día, pues el 3 de este mes ocuparon 1.1 toneladas en Punta Caucedo
Financial hit is probably an understatement at this point.
Pivot only has one plane, likely leased, and that one plane is being held by the Dominican government.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
Into the corruption consideration it might be good to factor in incompetence.It's a fact that DR is one of the biggest drugs transhipment countries in the world. Clearly, given the size of the industry and quantity of drugs being moved annually, there are drugs being moved through Punta Cana. Interesting article here:
Dominican Republic and Venezuela: Cocaine Across the Caribbean
Drug traffickers have a problem exporting drugs from Venezuela. There are few commercial flights, little container shipping, no tourists and a collapsed fishing sector. But the Dominican Republic, 1,400 kilometers away, has it all.insightcrime.org
To quote from the article:
What is interesting is that the vast majority of cocaine seizures occur on the way INTO the Dominican Republic. This means that once on the island, organized crime is able to move and export drug shipments with relative ease and security. This suggests high-level corruption in local law enforcement, the national anti-drug agency and the port authorities, perhaps including political top cover. Almost all sources consulted agreed on this, but were reluctant to go on the record.
If as MSM report the air crew found the drugs and called the cops this should be an open and shut case with the immediate release of the crew and the plane. Not in the DR.
Is it possible the cops do not read MSM and maybe do not realize the air crew called them?
Things can be soooooo weird here.
Is it possible the cops do not read MSM and maybe do not realize the air crew called them?
Things can be soooooo weird here.
The PN of this country are among the most uneducated ignorant people I have ever dealt with anywhere on this planet.
These pilots will not receive any type of positive assistance from them. They will have to lawyer up and buy their way out regardless of their guilt or innocence.
I agree CR. The PN are a law unto themselves. That’s not surprising given the type of recruitment, training, and pay they receive. Pivot is a small one aircraft charter company. I don’t know how much money they can afford to grease palms, extricate their crew, and get their aircraft back to Canada.
If they can pony up the funds and go free, I highly doubt they will ever run charters to the DR or other drug smuggling countries. Once burned, twice shy. If the aircraft is permanently seized, they will go bankrupt and nobody benefits. I hope the PN are smart enough to be aware of that situation.
The chief pilot had a recent run in with Canadian law enforcement. A charge involving his brother, sister in law, and alleged spousal abuse by his brother. He supported his brother’s claim who said his wife’s injuries were self inflicted because she was mentally ill. His brother was found guilty. The chief pilot doesn’t have much credibility. He is probably the prime suspect and bears ultimate responsibility for the aircraft operation at Punta Cana airport. Freeing him will be difficult. He may end up being sacrificed by the company to save them from bankruptcy. None of this will end well financially for the company. They will bleed money over this.
If I remember correctly, It wasn’t that long ago the PN mistakenly shot and killed three or four men who they thought were escaped prisoners. Incompetence is deeply ingrained in the PN culture. The lives of the citizens they are hired to protect mean very little to them. Basically a government sanctioned mafia.
They should be "free" soon. $25K CAD is not a lot of money for a pilot. The fact that they're out on bond is amazing to me. I don't think those French pilots were released on bond(?).
Can’t remember if the French pilots were released on bonds. The Pivot pilots are not highly paid ATP pilots flying with a major airline. I imagine the company put up the money for the bonds. They are a company operating on a wing and a prayer. Pardon the pun.
Re French pilots: They were not being held in jail when they escaped.
"They are not escapees, because they were not in prison," he added, explaining that the pair were not being held in detention, though they were also not authorised to leave the Dominican Republic, pending a judicial appeal.
French pilots escape Dominican Republic after 'Air Cocaine' drug conviction
Two Frenchmen facing jail in the Dominican Republic for piloting a jet filled with cocaine fled the Caribbean nation by boat to return to France, one of the men said Tuesday, the latest twist in a tale…
www.france24.com
The link is from 2015. I'm curious, where are they now?Re French pilots: They were not being held in jail when they escaped.
"They are not escapees, because they were not in prison," he added, explaining that the pair were not being held in detention, though they were also not authorised to leave the Dominican Republic, pending a judicial appeal.
French pilots escape Dominican Republic after 'Air Cocaine' drug conviction
Two Frenchmen facing jail in the Dominican Republic for piloting a jet filled with cocaine fled the Caribbean nation by boat to return to France, one of the men said Tuesday, the latest twist in a tale…
The event occurred in 2013. They escaped DR in 2015 and are free in France