An Antigonish pilot, NS, wants more people to pay attention to what is happening to his friends and colleagues who have been detained in the Dominican Republic after millions of dollars worth of cocaine was found on their plane.
On April 5, the crew of Pivot Airlines was jailed after the drugs were found in multiple luggage bags. Carl Falsnes knows part of the crew from work for another airline. He is a close friend of Aatif Safdar, a pilot from Hamilton, Ont.
Pivot is a private charter airline based in Toronto.
“I check our chat group and our show every day, wondering what’s going on with these guys. Aatif has a small child, he has a young wife,” Falsnes told CBC News.
The crew comes out on bail. Last week, they released a video explaining their side of the story and asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to help bring them home.
Captain Robert Di Venanzo said two months ago that the crew had discovered alleged smuggling aboard their plane bound for Canada. They reported this to the RCMP and the authorities of the Dominican Republic.
“The Dominicans threw us in jail,” Di Venanzo said.
“We are threatened with death,” said the pilot
“We were threatened with death by drug offenders, blackmailed by prisoners and lived in inhuman and degrading conditions. A dead body was placed outside our cell in prison and we were told we would be next. We live in a nightmare. “
Di Venanzo said they could be sent back to prison immediately.
“Mr Prime Minister, we need your help. We have done our job by reporting these medicines and saving Canada’s lives. Now we need you to make your own,” he said.
WATCH An NS pilot fears for friends detained in the Dominican Republic
An NS pilot fears for friends detained in the Dominican Republic
A Pivot Airlines crew was jailed in April after millions of dollars worth of cocaine was found on their plane. The crew is friends and colleagues of Antigonish, NS, pilot Carl Falsnes. Falseness said the case needed more attention in Canada.
Falsnes said he tried to send messages to the crew, but they were not received. He said he wasn’t even sure they had their phones.
“I mean, it’s pretty amazing that a crew member who finds a problem could be in a situation where your life is in danger to the point where you’re not even sure you’re going to get out,” he said. Falsehood.
Falsnes said the situation was not getting enough attention. He worries that his friends will not receive justice in the Dominican Republic. Falsnes wants the federal government to intervene.
The federal government is aware
During his visit to the America’s Summit in Los Angeles last week, Prime Minister Trudeau met with Dominican President Luis Abinader.
On his official website, the prime minister said he had “raised the case of the Canadian aviation crew in the Dominican Republic and received assurances that the authorities would deal with the matter in accordance with the rule of law”.
Global Affairs Canada said it was also aware of the crew’s situation.
Cocaine bricks were found on the plane. (National Directorate for Drug Control)
“Canadian officials continue to monitor the situation closely, engage with local authorities and provide consular assistance. For privacy reasons, no further information could be disclosed,” said Charlotte McLeod, a spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada.
Falsenes, meanwhile, is worried about her boyfriend. They last spoke four days before the flight. He said he was excited to fly more. During the pandemic, Falsnes said Safdar made money by driving for Uber.
“I sympathize with these people. It’s so sad. “You go to work, you do your job and you go to jail,” he said.
Add Comment