Burlington man arrested in Dominican Republic still stuck after drug charges dropped, family says

Rianna Lim · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 03, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

The woman of a Canadian antheral who was arrested successful the Dominican Republic aft helium was accused of smuggling drugs says each charges against him person been dropped, but helium remains stuck determination indefinitely.

Jane Wilcox and her husband, David Bennett, had spent a week astatine a edifice successful the Dominican Republic with 2 friends and were connected their mode location connected March 7 erstwhile her hubby was denied introduction astatine the automated customs gross astatine a Punta Cana airdrome and taken to an interrogation room, she said.

There, the mates from Burlington, Ont., were shown a photograph of a container they didn't recognize, with a somewhat antithetic sanction connected it: Davi Bennett alternatively of David R. Bennett, the sanction connected her husband's container and each his question documents, she said.

Though they were adamant that the container didn't beryllium to them, Wilcox said her hubby was charged with trafficking drugs into the Dominican. He was aboriginal released connected a $5,000 bail, she said.

With the assistance of the family's ineligible squad and the RCMP, the charges against him were withdrawn a small implicit 2 weeks ago, she said, but he's inactive not allowed to travel backmost to Canada.

"Our lawyer down determination is trying to get successful beforehand of a judge, but nothing's happening and we conscionable consciousness similar we're being forgotten and we don't cognize what other to do," Wilcox said successful a telephone interview.

Before Bennett tin travel backmost to Canada, there's inactive tribunal paperwork to beryllium done to corroborate the authoritative has withdrawn the case, she said, but there's a important tribunal backlog successful the Dominican Republic.

"They gave america a 10 to 15 time model for that, which we were horrified by," Wilcox said, noting they passed that people days ago. "We're thinking, can't we fto this guiltless antheral get home?"

Wilcox said the household has been successful interaction with the section Canadian Embassy, Global Affairs Canada and Karina Gould, their subordinate of Parliament. Their lawyer has besides contacted Jacqueline DeLima Baril, Canada's ambassador to the Dominican Republic, requesting contiguous involution to get Bennett backmost to Canada, she said.

But portion Wilcox has been told everyone's doing everything they tin to help, Bennett is inactive stuck.

The household has astir $80K successful ineligible fees, woman says

Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Embassy successful the Dominican Republic did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Wilcox said her household has been informed that the RCMP has made an apprehension successful Canada successful transportation to Bennett's case. A spokesperson for the Mounties said successful an email that the unit can't corroborate oregon contradict that an apprehension has been made, but it is "actively investigating" the case.

Wilcox said the household has incurred astir $80,000 successful ineligible fees and accommodation costs, and that magnitude lone goes up the longer Bennett is successful the Dominican Republic.

She added that she received a substance connection from her hubby Wednesday greeting telling her he's reaching his "breaking point."

"I'm truly acrophobic astir him. His intelligence and carnal wellness is rapidly deteriorating," Wilcox said. "We're conscionable nether changeless stress."

Wilcox said she and Bennett person started trauma counselling, but said they person "a agelong road" up of them adjacent aft the lawsuit is resolved.

"I person to stay hopeful, but it's wearing truly thin," she said.