Latest news with #DavidBennett
Globe and Mail
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Ontario man arrested in Dominican Republic returns home after two months
When David Bennett decided to escape Canada's icy winter with a weeklong trip to the Dominican Republic, he never imagined he'd be fighting to get back on Canadian soil for more than two months. Bennett has finally returned to his Burlington, Ont., home after being arrested in the Caribbean country and accused of smuggling drugs. Even after the charges were withdrawn, he was stuck in the island nation for weeks due to court delays. He's now calling for more transparency from the federal government when it comes to assisting Canadians abroad. Bennett, his wife Jane Wilcox and some friends were on their way home from a Dominican Republic resort on March 7 when he was denied entry at a Punta Cana airport's automated customs gate, he said. He was taken to an interrogation room and initially thought it was just a brief misunderstanding. There, he and Wilcox were shown a photo of a bag they didn't recognize, with a slightly different name on it – Davi Bennett instead of David R. Bennett, he said. Though they were adamant the bag didn't belong to him, he said he was charged with trafficking drugs into the Dominican and told he could face up to 30 years in prison. 'That was really scary and I was blown away. Like I was in disbelief that this was happening,' Bennett said in a phone interview Thursday, nearly two weeks after returning home. 'I certainly didn't expect it to evolve into what it did, that's for sure. Not in my wildest dreams did I think it would happen like that.' Bennett recalled how he was handcuffed and later spent the night in a 'small, overcrowded cell,' shoulder-to-shoulder with other detainees and sitting in a corner for nearly nine hours. He managed to get a lawyer – whom he could only communicate with through Google Translate – and Wilcox paid a $5,000 bail, he said. He then spent the next several weeks bouncing around different accommodations as he and Wilcox fought to clear his name and get him back to Canada. When they learned the charges would be withdrawn, he was relieved, but only momentarily. 'We were told that it would take roughly 10 to 15 days for that withdrawal to become official through the signing of a court order. We were concerned with the time frame, but we were told that there's a backlog in the system,' Bennett said. 'So we said, well, what other choice do we have other than to remain patient?' It took more than 15 days for the court order to be signed, he recalled, but then he was told it would take up to an additional two weeks for the travel ban to be lifted. 'My mental state was really rough those last five weeks waiting,' said Bennett. 'The anticipation and the waiting was really the most difficult part.' Meanwhile in Ontario, Wilcox was rallying as much support as she could, Bennett said, as she and other community members reached out to their local member of Parliament Karina Gould and Anita Anand, who is now foreign affairs minister. On May 15, Bennett said he learned from Global Affairs Canada that his travel ban had been lifted through a verbal agreement with Dominican authorities, and they immediately booked a flight for the next day. 'We literally willed our way through at that point because the paperwork hadn't been finalized yet. And we connected with Global Affairs Canada and told them that we're going to the airport, please ensure the paperwork is there to support us,' he recalled. The next day, when he boarded his plane to Toronto, he 'never felt really comfortable' until the wheels left the tarmac. 'Even when I was on the aircraft, even though I was innocent, I had in the back of my mind, 'What's going to go wrong here?' Like something's not going to work out here,' he said. 'So I was really, really nervous for the entire time.' The flight gave him an 'amazing feeling,' he said, and his reunion with his wife was even better. In total, Bennett said he spent 71 days stuck in the Dominican, getting few hours of sleep, rapidly losing weight and ultimately racking up more than $80,000 in legal fees and accommodation costs. Though he's back home now, Bennett said he still has unanswered questions about what happened that day at the Punta Cana airport. 'I'd like to really fully understand what has transpired and how it transpired, how this can never happen in the future,' he said. Bennett added he wants Canadian officials to be more transparent in the steps they're taking to help Canadians stuck abroad. During his time in the Dominican, he and Wilcox were in communication with Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Embassy, he said, but officials gave them few updates or details on his case, which he called 'frustrating.' Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 'I do believe Canadians deserve better,' Bennett said. 'We need to be way more supportive of our Canadian citizens when they travel.' For Canadians going abroad, Bennett said they should consider only taking a carry-on and if they check a bag, to keep track of the luggage tag. Bennett also recommends checking the federal government's travel advisories before choosing a destination. Now that he's back in Canada, Bennett said he's spending as much time with family as he can and taking steps to recover physically and mentally. Before the incident, Bennett said he was never much of a traveller, but his detention has actually made him want to travel more. 'I have a little bit of a thirst for travel through this because I want to live my life and I want to enjoy,' said Bennett. 'There's so many beautiful places to see in this world and it hasn't ruined my want to do more things.'
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
‘I was innocent': Ontario man returns home after arrest in Dominican Republic
David Bennett was arrested in the Dominican Republic in February after he was accused of smuggling drugs. The charges were withdrawn after weeks of delays and he's back at his Burlington, Ont., home. Bennett and his wife Jane Wilcox are seen in this handout photo after he arrived at Toronto's Pearson airport on May 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - David Bennett *MANDATORY CREDIT* When David Bennett decided to escape Canada's icy winter with a weeklong trip to the Dominican Republic, he never imagined he'd be fighting to get back on Canadian soil for more than two months. Bennett has finally returned to his Burlington, Ont., home after being arrested in the Caribbean country and accused of smuggling drugs. Even after the charges were withdrawn, he was stuck in the island nation for weeks due to court delays. He's now calling for more transparency from the federal government when it comes to assisting Canadians abroad. Bennett, his wife Jane Wilcox and some friends were on their way home from a Dominican Republic resort on March 7 when he was denied entry at a Punta Cana airport's automated customs gate, he said. He was taken to an interrogation room and initially thought it was just a brief misunderstanding. There, he and Wilcox were shown a photo of a bag they didn't recognize, with a slightly different name on it — Davi Bennett instead of David R. Bennett, he said. Though they were adamant the bag didn't belong to him, he said he was charged with trafficking drugs into the Dominican and told he could face up to 30 years in prison. 'That was really scary and I was blown away. Like I was in disbelief that this was happening,' Bennett said in a phone interview Thursday, nearly two weeks after returning home. 'I certainly didn't expect it to evolve into what it did, that's for sure. Not in my wildest dreams did I think it would happen like that.' Bennett recalled how he was handcuffed and later spent the night in a 'small, overcrowded cell,' shoulder-to-shoulder with other detainees and sitting in a corner for nearly nine hours. He managed to get a lawyer — whom he could only communicate with through Google Translate — and Wilcox paid a $5,000 bail, he said. He then spent the next several weeks bouncing around different accommodations as he and Wilcox fought to clear his name and get him back to Canada. When they learned the charges would be withdrawn, he was relieved, but only momentarily. 'We were told that it would take roughly 10 to 15 days for that withdrawal to become official through the signing of a court order. We were concerned with the time frame, but we were told that there's a backlog in the system,' Bennett said. 'So we said, well, what other choice do we have other than to remain patient?' It took more than 15 days for the court order to be signed, he recalled, but then he was told it would take up to an additional two weeks for the travel ban to be lifted. 'My mental state was really rough those last five weeks waiting,' said Bennett. 'The anticipation and the waiting was really the most difficult part.' Meanwhile in Ontario, Wilcox was rallying as much support as she could, Bennett said, as she and other community members reached out to their local member of Parliament Anita Anand, who is now the new foreign affairs minister. On May 15, Bennett said he learned from Global Affairs Canada that his travel ban had been lifted through a verbal agreement with Dominican authorities, and they immediately booked a flight for the next day. 'We literally willed our way through at that point because the paperwork hadn't been finalized yet. And we connected with Global Affairs Canada and told them that we're going to the airport, please ensure the paperwork is there to support us,' he recalled. The next day, when he boarded his plane to Toronto, he 'never felt really comfortable' until the wheels left the tarmac. 'Even when I was on the aircraft, even though I was innocent, I had in the back of my mind, 'What's going to go wrong here?' Like something's not going to work out here,' he said. 'So I was really, really nervous for the entire time.' The flight gave him an 'amazing feeling,' he said, and his reunion with his wife was even better. In total, Bennett said he spent 71 days stuck in the Dominican, getting few hours of sleep, rapidly losing weight and ultimately racking up more than $80,000 in legal fees and accommodation costs. Though he's back home now, Bennett said he still has unanswered questions about what happened that day at the Punta Cana airport. 'I'd like to really fully understand what has transpired and how it transpired, how this can never happen in the future,' he said. Bennett added he wants Canadian officials to be more transparent in the steps they're taking to help Canadians stuck abroad. During his time in the Dominican, he and Wilcox were in communication with Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Embassy, he said, but officials gave them few updates or details on his case, which he called 'frustrating.' Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 'I do believe Canadians deserve better,' Bennett said. 'We need to be way more supportive of our Canadian citizens when they travel.' For Canadians going abroad, Bennett said they should consider only taking a carry-on and if they check a bag, to keep track of the luggage tag. Bennett also recommends checking the federal government's travel advisories before choosing a destination. Now that he's back in Canada, Bennett said he's spending as much time with family as he can and taking steps to recover physically and mentally. Before the incident, Bennett said he was never much of a traveller, but his detention has actually made him want to travel more. 'I have a little bit of a thirst for travel through this because I want to live my life and I want to enjoy,' said Bennett. 'There's so many beautiful places to see in this world and it hasn't ruined my want to do more things.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ontario man recounts ordeal after being stuck in Dominican Republic on 'bogus' drug charges
An Ontario man who was arrested in the Dominican Republic over accusations of smuggling drugs is recounting his 71-day ordeal in the Caribbean country. David Bennett, 57, returned home to Burlington on May 16 after weeks of intense lobbying by the Canadian government officials and others, led by his wife Jane Wilcox, saw his charges withdrawn. The couple had spent a week at a resort with two friends and were on their way home on March 7 when Bennett was denied entry at the automated customs gate at the Punta Cana airport and taken to an interrogation room. The two were shown a photo of a bag they didn't recognize, with a slightly different name on it: Davi Bennett instead of David R. Bennett — the name on Bennett's bag and all his travel documents. Wilcox told CBC News in March that the charges were "bogus." RCMP said this week it continues to investigate baggage tag switching schemes, and it has made arrests related to this particular case. Now back in Canada, Bennett told CBC Hamilton on Friday about his arrest. Following the interrogation at the airport, Bennett said officers took him, another male and female couple, who were facing similar accusations, to a pickup truck in the airport's parking lot. "[They] loaded us in the pickup truck and drove us at speeds in excess of 130 kilometres an hour, roughly half hour outside of the airport to a compound," Bennett said. "We were in the back of this vehicle with no seatbelts on. It was really scary." Bennett said there were between 15 to 20 people, some in uniform, at the compound where they were taken. "That's when they brought a translator — a lady that could translate a little bit in English to us — and that's when they told us the seriousness of what was in front of us." After a little more than an hour at the location, Bennett said they were whisked back to the airport where they were kept in the back of a hot and stuffy pickup for approximately two hours before being taken to a jail facility. 'Pitch black' and no room move in jail Bennett said he was placed in a "really small" cell with about 12 to 15 other men and more people were added throughout the night. "It was pitch black. We really couldn't see the faces of anyone coming in. We just saw body images of people coming in and we had no clue what we were dealing with," he said. "I literally sat in the corner for the whole time because it was standing room only. There was no room to lay down, there was no room to really move." Bennett said he tried to stay positive, telling himself the whole thing would be sorted out the following morning, and he would just need to "tough it out" that night. "My goal was to fall asleep and just sort of forget about it and not think about it." But the ordeal lasted much longer than one night. Bennett was charged with trafficking drugs. He was taken to court on March 8 and released on $5,000 bail. He could not leave the Dominican Republic because of a travel ban and his passport was held by local authorities. The charges against Bennett were withdrawn around mid-April, but the travel ban remained in place. "I moved nine times in 71 days [and] I had this black cloud over my head the whole time I was there," he said. Meanwhile, Wilcox worked around the clock, first to have the charges against her husband dropped and then to bring him home. On May 15, around 8 p.m. ET, the family got the news they spent more than 10 agonizing weeks pressing for. Global Affairs Canada advised the family by email the travel ban had officially been lifted and they were just waiting for the paperwork the next morning, Bennett said. He said his wife "booked a flight within 20 minutes" for him to travel home to Canada the following afternoon. "Landing back in Toronto was amazing. We had an amazing approach coming in over Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It was a beautiful evening, so I had just an incredible view of the area and, you know, just touching down at the airport was just an amazing feeling," Bennett said. He said he missed a lot of things, including birthdays and anniversaries, while being stuck in the Dominican Republic — but he's happy to be back home. Bennett said getting back to his wife, family and friends has been a "saviour." He's also glad to be in his own bed again. "I wasn't sleeping at all very well down there.... I was tired for the first handful of days [upon return] and I still feel some residual kind of tiredness throughout the day. We have an amazing friend network that supported us through this, so it's been quite the week and I'm just so grateful to be home," he said. Wilcox is also relieved the ordeal is over. "I'm on Project Nourish Dave right now. He lost some weight while he was away, so I've got the zest for cooking and nourishing, and we're just soaking up every minute we can," Wilcox told CBC News. Wilcox said Canadians deserve better treatment from the country's embassies and Global Affairs Canada. "There were wires crossed. We received disinformation. They didn't answer our questions. People didn't seem to know what was happening. It was extremely frustrating," she said. CBC News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment. The RCMP said its Toronto airport detachment members continue to actively investigate cases involving incidents of baggage tag switching in attempts to smuggle illegal drugs and contraband out of Canada. In addition to the recent arrests, RCMP say it is "also co-operating with any and all foreign police partners to provide evidence that may assist any files related to these investigations." For Wilcox, the "silver lining" in the experience is the community support they received through it all. Wilcox said it cost the family close to $85,000 to fight the charges. They were able to raise $55,000 and are "super grateful" for all the community support. "We've begun to talk about how we can help other people who are in traumatic situations, and are victims of crimes.... We're going to explore that as we continue to heal here ourselves."
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ontario man recounts ordeal after being stuck in Dominican Republic on 'bogus' drug charges
An Ontario man who was arrested in the Dominican Republic over accusations of smuggling drugs is recounting his 71-day ordeal in the Caribbean country. David Bennett, 57, returned home to Burlington on May 16 after weeks of intense lobbying by the Canadian government officials and others, led by his wife Jane Wilcox, saw his charges withdrawn. The couple had spent a week at a resort with two friends and were on their way home on March 7 when Bennett was denied entry at the automated customs gate at the Punta Cana airport and taken to an interrogation room. The two were shown a photo of a bag they didn't recognize, with a slightly different name on it: Davi Bennett instead of David R. Bennett — the name on Bennett's bag and all his travel documents. Wilcox told CBC News in March that the charges were "bogus." RCMP said this week it continues to investigate baggage tag switching schemes, and it has made arrests related to this particular case. Now back in Canada, Bennett told CBC Hamilton on Friday about his arrest. Following the interrogation at the airport, Bennett said officers took him, another male and female couple, who were facing similar accusations, to a pickup truck in the airport's parking lot. "[They] loaded us in the pickup truck and drove us at speeds in excess of 130 kilometres an hour, roughly half hour outside of the airport to a compound," Bennett said. "We were in the back of this vehicle with no seatbelts on. It was really scary." Bennett said there were between 15 to 20 people, some in uniform, at the compound where they were taken. "That's when they brought a translator — a lady that could translate a little bit in English to us — and that's when they told us the seriousness of what was in front of us." After a little more than an hour at the location, Bennett said they were whisked back to the airport where they were kept in the back of a hot and stuffy pickup for approximately two hours before being taken to a jail facility. 'Pitch black' and no room move in jail Bennett said he was placed in a "really small" cell with about 12 to 15 other men and more people were added throughout the night. "It was pitch black. We really couldn't see the faces of anyone coming in. We just saw body images of people coming in and we had no clue what we were dealing with," he said. "I literally sat in the corner for the whole time because it was standing room only. There was no room to lay down, there was no room to really move." Bennett said he tried to stay positive, telling himself the whole thing would be sorted out the following morning, and he would just need to "tough it out" that night. "My goal was to fall asleep and just sort of forget about it and not think about it." But the ordeal lasted much longer than one night. Bennett was charged with trafficking drugs. He was taken to court on March 8 and released on $5,000 bail. He could not leave the Dominican Republic because of a travel ban and his passport was held by local authorities. The charges against Bennett were withdrawn around mid-April, but the travel ban remained in place. "I moved nine times in 71 days [and] I had this black cloud over my head the whole time I was there," he said. Meanwhile, Wilcox worked around the clock, first to have the charges against her husband dropped and then to bring him home. On May 15, around 8 p.m. ET, the family got the news they spent more than 10 agonizing weeks pressing for. Global Affairs Canada advised the family by email the travel ban had officially been lifted and they were just waiting for the paperwork the next morning, Bennett said. He said his wife "booked a flight within 20 minutes" for him to travel home to Canada the following afternoon. "Landing back in Toronto was amazing. We had an amazing approach coming in over Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It was a beautiful evening, so I had just an incredible view of the area and, you know, just touching down at the airport was just an amazing feeling," Bennett said. He said he missed a lot of things, including birthdays and anniversaries, while being stuck in the Dominican Republic — but he's happy to be back home. Bennett said getting back to his wife, family and friends has been a "saviour." He's also glad to be in his own bed again. "I wasn't sleeping at all very well down there.... I was tired for the first handful of days [upon return] and I still feel some residual kind of tiredness throughout the day. We have an amazing friend network that supported us through this, so it's been quite the week and I'm just so grateful to be home," he said. Wilcox is also relieved the ordeal is over. "I'm on Project Nourish Dave right now. He lost some weight while he was away, so I've got the zest for cooking and nourishing, and we're just soaking up every minute we can," Wilcox told CBC News. Wilcox said Canadians deserve better treatment from the country's embassies and Global Affairs Canada. "There were wires crossed. We received disinformation. They didn't answer our questions. People didn't seem to know what was happening. It was extremely frustrating," she said. CBC News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment. The RCMP said its Toronto airport detachment members continue to actively investigate cases involving incidents of baggage tag switching in attempts to smuggle illegal drugs and contraband out of Canada. In addition to the recent arrests, RCMP say it is "also co-operating with any and all foreign police partners to provide evidence that may assist any files related to these investigations." For Wilcox, the "silver lining" in the experience is the community support they received through it all. Wilcox said it cost the family close to $85,000 to fight the charges. They were able to raise $55,000 and are "super grateful" for all the community support. "We've begun to talk about how we can help other people who are in traumatic situations, and are victims of crimes.... We're going to explore that as we continue to heal here ourselves."
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ontario man recounts ordeal after being stuck in Dominican Republic on 'bogus' drug charges
An Ontario man who was arrested in the Dominican Republic over accusations of smuggling drugs is recounting his 71-day ordeal in the Caribbean country. David Bennett, 57, returned home to Burlington on May 16 after weeks of intense lobbying by the Canadian government officials and others, led by his wife Jane Wilcox, saw his charges withdrawn. The couple had spent a week at a resort with two friends and were on their way home on March 7 when Bennett was denied entry at the automated customs gate at the Punta Cana airport and taken to an interrogation room. The two were shown a photo of a bag they didn't recognize, with a slightly different name on it: Davi Bennett instead of David R. Bennett — the name on Bennett's bag and all his travel documents. Wilcox told CBC News in March that the charges were "bogus." RCMP said this week it continues to investigate baggage tag switching schemes, and it has made arrests related to this particular case. Now back in Canada, Bennett told CBC Hamilton on Friday about his arrest. Following the interrogation at the airport, Bennett said officers took him, another male and female couple, who were facing similar accusations, to a pickup truck in the airport's parking lot. "[They] loaded us in the pickup truck and drove us at speeds in excess of 130 kilometres an hour, roughly half hour outside of the airport to a compound," Bennett said. "We were in the back of this vehicle with no seatbelts on. It was really scary." Bennett said there were between 15 to 20 people, some in uniform, at the compound where they were taken. "That's when they brought a translator — a lady that could translate a little bit in English to us — and that's when they told us the seriousness of what was in front of us." After a little more than an hour at the location, Bennett said they were whisked back to the airport where they were kept in the back of a hot and stuffy pickup for approximately two hours before being taken to a jail facility. 'Pitch black' and no room move in jail Bennett said he was placed in a "really small" cell with about 12 to 15 other men and more people were added throughout the night. "It was pitch black. We really couldn't see the faces of anyone coming in. We just saw body images of people coming in and we had no clue what we were dealing with," he said. "I literally sat in the corner for the whole time because it was standing room only. There was no room to lay down, there was no room to really move." Bennett said he tried to stay positive, telling himself the whole thing would be sorted out the following morning, and he would just need to "tough it out" that night. "My goal was to fall asleep and just sort of forget about it and not think about it." But the ordeal lasted much longer than one night. Bennett was charged with trafficking drugs. He was taken to court on March 8 and released on $5,000 bail. He could not leave the Dominican Republic because of a travel ban and his passport was held by local authorities. The charges against Bennett were withdrawn around mid-April, but the travel ban remained in place. "I moved nine times in 71 days [and] I had this black cloud over my head the whole time I was there," he said. Meanwhile, Wilcox worked around the clock, first to have the charges against her husband dropped and then to bring him home. On May 15, around 8 p.m. ET, the family got the news they spent more than 10 agonizing weeks pressing for. Global Affairs Canada advised the family by email the travel ban had officially been lifted and they were just waiting for the paperwork the next morning, Bennett said. He said his wife "booked a flight within 20 minutes" for him to travel home to Canada the following afternoon. "Landing back in Toronto was amazing. We had an amazing approach coming in over Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It was a beautiful evening, so I had just an incredible view of the area and, you know, just touching down at the airport was just an amazing feeling," Bennett said. He said he missed a lot of things, including birthdays and anniversaries, while being stuck in the Dominican Republic — but he's happy to be back home. Bennett said getting back to his wife, family and friends has been a "saviour." He's also glad to be in his own bed again. "I wasn't sleeping at all very well down there.... I was tired for the first handful of days [upon return] and I still feel some residual kind of tiredness throughout the day. We have an amazing friend network that supported us through this, so it's been quite the week and I'm just so grateful to be home," he said. Wilcox is also relieved the ordeal is over. "I'm on Project Nourish Dave right now. He lost some weight while he was away, so I've got the zest for cooking and nourishing, and we're just soaking up every minute we can," Wilcox told CBC News. Wilcox said Canadians deserve better treatment from the country's embassies and Global Affairs Canada. "There were wires crossed. We received disinformation. They didn't answer our questions. People didn't seem to know what was happening. It was extremely frustrating," she said. CBC News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment. The RCMP said its Toronto airport detachment members continue to actively investigate cases involving incidents of baggage tag switching in attempts to smuggle illegal drugs and contraband out of Canada. In addition to the recent arrests, RCMP say it is "also co-operating with any and all foreign police partners to provide evidence that may assist any files related to these investigations." For Wilcox, the "silver lining" in the experience is the community support they received through it all. Wilcox said it cost the family close to $85,000 to fight the charges. They were able to raise $55,000 and are "super grateful" for all the community support. "We've begun to talk about how we can help other people who are in traumatic situations, and are victims of crimes.... We're going to explore that as we continue to heal here ourselves."
