The wife of a Canadian man who was arrested in the Dominican Republic after he was accused of drug smuggling says that all the charges against him have been retired, but he remains caught there indefinitely.
Jane Wilcox and her husband, David Bennett, had spent a week in a resort in the Dominican Republic with two friends and headed home on March 7 when her husband was denied the entrance to the automated customs door at an airport in Punta Cana and took an interrogation room, she said.
There, Burlington’s couple, Ontario, was shown a photo of a bag that they did not recognize, with a slightly different name: Davi Bennett instead of David R. Bennett, the name in the bag of her husband and all her travel documents, she said.
Although they insisted that the bag did not belong to them, Wilcox said that her husband was accused of drug trafficking in the Dominican. He was later released under a bail of $ 5,000, he said.
With the help of the legal team of the family and the RCMP, the charges against them were retired just over two weeks ago, he said, but he is not yet allowed to return to Canada.
“Our lawyer there is trying to get in front of a judge, but nothing happens and we feel that we are being forgotten and we don’t know what else to do,” Wilcox said in a telephone interview.
Before Bennett can return to Canada, there are still judicial documents to do to confirm that the prosecutor has withdrawn the case, he said, but there is a significant court portfolio in the Dominican Republic.
“They gave us a window of 10 to 15 days for that, for what horrified us,” said Wilcox, noting that they spent that mark days ago. “We are thinking, can’t we let this innocent man get home?”
Wilcox said the family has been in contact with the Canadian local embassy, the global issues of Canada and Karina Gould, their member of Parliament. His lawyer has also contacted Jacqueline Delima Baril, Canada ambassador to the Dominican Republic, requesting an immediate intervention for Bennett to return to Canada, he said.
But although Wilcox has been told that everyone is doing everything possible to help, Bennett is still stuck.
The family has about $ 80k in legal fees, says the wife
Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian embassy in the Dominican Republic did not immediately respond to comments requests.
Wilcox said his family has been informed that the RCMP has made an arrest in Canada in relation to Bennett’s case. A Mounties spokesman said in an email that the force cannot confirm or deny that an arrest has been made, but is “actively investigating” the case.
Wilcox said the family has incurred approximately $ 80,000 in legal fees and accommodation costs, and that amount only increases the longer Bennett is in the Dominican Republic.
She added that she received a text message from her husband on Wednesday morning telling her that she is reaching her “break point.”
“I am really worried about him. His mental and physical health is quickly deteriorated,” said Wilcox. “We are just under constant stress.”
Wilcox said that she and Bennett have begun trauma advice, but said they have “a long way” even after the case is resolved.
“I have to remain hopeful, but it gets very thin,” he said.
