Ontario man recounts ordeal after being stuck in Dominican Republic on 'bogus' drug charges

Desmond Brown · CBC News

· Posted: May 25, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

An Ontario antheral who was arrested successful the Dominican Republic implicit accusations of smuggling drugs is recounting his 71-day ordeal successful the Caribbean country.

David Bennett, 57, returned location to Burlington connected May 16 after weeks of aggravated lobbying by the Canadian authorities officials and others, led by his woman Jane Wilcox, saw his charges withdrawn. 

The mates had spent a week astatine a edifice with 2 friends and were connected their mode location connected March 7 erstwhile Bennett was denied introduction astatine the automated customs gross astatine the Punta Cana airdrome and taken to an interrogation room.

The 2 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 Bennett's container and each his question documents. Wilcox told CBC News successful March that the charges were "bogus."

RCMP said this week it continues to analyse baggage tag switching schemes, and it has made arrests related to this peculiar case.  

'It was truly scary'

Now backmost successful Canada, Bennett told CBC Hamilton connected Friday about his arrest. 

Following the interrogation astatine the airport, Bennett said officers took him, different antheral and pistillate couple, who were facing akin accusations, to a pickup motortruck successful the airport's parking lot.

"[They] loaded america successful the pickup motortruck and drove america astatine speeds successful excess of 130 kilometres an hour, astir fractional hr extracurricular of the airdrome to a compound," Bennett said.

"We were successful the backmost of this conveyance with nary seatbelts on. It was truly scary."

Bennett said determination were betwixt 15 to 20 people, immoderate successful uniform, astatine the compound wherever they were taken.

"That's erstwhile they brought a translator — a woman that could construe a small spot successful English to america — and that's erstwhile they told america the seriousness of what was successful beforehand of us."

After a small much than an hr astatine the location, Bennett said they were whisked backmost to the airdrome wherever they were kept successful the backmost of a blistery and stuffy pickup for astir 2 hours earlier being taken to a jailhouse facility. 

'Pitch black' and nary room move in jail

Bennett said helium was placed successful a "really small" compartment with astir 12 to 15 different men and much radical were added passim the night.

"It was transportation black. We truly couldn't spot the faces of anyone coming in. We conscionable saw assemblage images of radical coming successful and we had nary hint what we were dealing with," helium said. 

"I virtually sat successful the country for the full clip due to the fact that it was lasting country only. There was nary country to laic down, determination was nary country to truly move."

Bennett said helium tried to enactment positive, telling himself the full happening would beryllium sorted retired the pursuing morning, and helium would conscionable request to "tough it out" that night. 

"My extremity was to autumn dormant and conscionable benignant of hide astir it and not deliberation astir it."

But the ordeal lasted overmuch longer than 1 night.

Bennett was charged with trafficking drugs. He was taken to tribunal connected March 8 and released connected $5,000 bail. He could not permission the Dominican Republic due to the fact that of a question prohibition and his passport was held by local authorities.

The charges against Bennett were withdrawn astir mid-April, but the question prohibition remained successful place.

"I moved 9 times successful 71 days [and] I had this achromatic unreality implicit my caput the full clip I was there," helium said. 

'Landing backmost successful Toronto was amazing'

Meanwhile, Wilcox worked astir the clock, archetypal to person the charges against her hubby dropped and past to bring him home.

On May 15, astir 8 p.m. ET, the household got the quality they spent much than 10 agonizing weeks pressing for.

Global Affairs Canada advised the household by email the question prohibition had officially been lifted and they were conscionable waiting for the paperwork the adjacent morning, Bennett said.

He said his woman "booked a formation wrong 20 minutes" for him to question location to Canada the pursuing afternoon.

"Landing backmost successful Toronto was amazing. We had an astonishing attack coming successful implicit Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It was a beauteous evening, truthful I had conscionable an unthinkable presumption of the area and, you know, conscionable touching down astatine the airdrome was conscionable an astonishing feeling," Bennett said.

He said helium missed a batch of things, including birthdays and anniversaries, portion being stuck successful the Dominican Republic — but he's blessed to beryllium backmost home.

'Project Nourish Dave'

Bennett said getting backmost to his wife, household and friends has been a "saviour." He's besides gladsome to beryllium successful his ain furniture again.

"I wasn't sleeping astatine each precise good down there.... I was bushed for the archetypal fistful of days [upon return] and I inactive consciousness immoderate residual benignant of tiredness passim the day. We person an astonishing person web that supported america done this, truthful it's been rather the week and I'm conscionable truthful grateful to beryllium home," helium said.

Wilcox is besides relieved the ordeal is over.

"I'm connected Project Nourish Dave right now. He mislaid immoderate value portion helium was away, truthful I've got the zest for cooking and nourishing, and we're conscionable soaking up each infinitesimal we can," Wilcox told CBC News.

Wilcox said Canadians merit amended attraction from the country's embassies and Global Affairs Canada. 

"There were wires crossed. We received disinformation. They didn't reply our questions. People didn't look to cognize what was happening. It was highly frustrating," she said.

CBC News has reached retired to Global Affairs Canada for comment.

The RCMP said its Toronto airdrome detachment members proceed to actively analyse cases involving incidents of baggage tag switching successful attempts to smuggle amerciable drugs and contraband retired of Canada. 

In summation to the caller arrests, RCMP say it is "also co-operating with immoderate and each overseas constabulary partners to supply grounds that whitethorn assistance immoderate files related to these investigations."

For Wilcox, the "silver lining" successful the acquisition is the assemblage support they received done it all. 

Wilcox said it outgo the household adjacent to $85,000 to combat the charges. They were capable to rise $55,000 and are "super grateful" for all the assemblage support. 

"We've begun to speech astir however we tin assistance different radical who are successful traumatic situations, and are victims of crimes.... We're going to research that arsenic we proceed to heal present ourselves."