The court of Higuey in La Altagracia province changed pretrial custody measures for Julia Benoit, the senior citizen accused of attempting to travel with cocaine to Brussels, Belgium from Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ).
Benoit was arrested on 9 September 20022 after two suitcases were ticketed to her name on the plane she would have boarded for Brussels where she was headed to undergo a throat cancer operation.
Surveillance videos shared online give extensive proof that Benoit did not arrive to the airport with the suitcases found to contain the cocaine and that she was the least likely to be involved in the smuggling operation.
Benoit would be allowed to be operated here as the investigations were ongoing. An Appeals Court of San Pedro de Macoris ordered that Benoit be allowed to travel outside the country. She will now travel to Brussels where her son lives for medical follow up. Benoit is also a European citizen.
Benoit’s lawyer said that his client still is under legal surveillance by a relative and under bail, as she is yet to be fully disassociated from the legal investigation into the drug-smugging operation.
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Noticias SIN
Diario Libre
14 December 2022