BURLINGTON, Ont. — David Bennett, a 50-something husband and hockey-loving community guy from Burlington, Ontario, is stuck in the Dominican Republic, unable to come home even though drug smuggling charges against him were dropped over two weeks ago. His wife, Jane Wilcox, says the ordeal has drained their savings, shattered their peace, and pushed Bennett to his breaking point. What started as a sunny week-long vacation has morphed into a bureaucratic nightmare that’s left the couple reeling.
On March 7, Bennett and Wilcox, along with two friends, were wrapping up their stay at a Dominican resort. They headed to Punta Cana International Airport, ready to board a WestJet flight back to Toronto. But at the automated customs gate, Bennett hit a snag. Airport officials pulled him aside, hustled him into an interrogation room, and showed the couple a photo of a bright yellow bag they’d never seen before. The name on it? “Davi Bennett,” close but not quite David R. Bennett, the name on his suitcase and passport. Despite their protests that the bag wasn’t theirs, authorities charged Bennett with trafficking drugs into the country. Wilcox was told to fly home without him.
The accusations were jaw-dropping. Wilcox describes her husband as the kind of guy who’d rather organize a charity golf game than take risks. “This is a man who plays old-timer hockey and volunteers at the local golf club,” she said in an interview. Yet, there he was, detained in a foreign country, accused of smuggling cocaine and marijuana. Bennett was released on $5,000 bail, but the legal fight was just beginning.
With help from a legal team spanning Canada and the Dominican Republic, plus the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the charges were withdrawn by mid-April. The family thought the worst was over. They were wrong. A backlog in the Dominican court system means paperwork confirming the case’s dismissal is still pending, and until it’s processed, Bennett can’t leave. Officials estimated a 10-to-15-day wait, but that deadline passed days ago, leaving Bennett in limbo.
The family’s reached out to everyone they can think of for help. They’ve contacted the Canadian Embassy in Santo Domingo, Global Affairs Canada, and their local MP, Karina Gould. Their lawyer even wrote to Jacqueline DeLima Baril, Canada’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic, begging for urgent action. So far, no one’s been able to cut through the red tape. Global Affairs Canada and the embassy didn’t respond to media requests for comment, leaving the family’s pleas unanswered.
The toll is brutal. Wilcox says they’ve burned through $80,000 on legal fees and living costs, with the meter still running. On April 29, Bennett texted her, saying he’s at his “breaking point.” His mental and physical health are crumbling under the strain. “We’re under constant stress,” Wilcox said. The couple’s started trauma counseling, but Wilcox admits the road ahead looks long and grim. “I’m trying to stay hopeful, but it’s wearing thin.”
There’s a flicker of progress back home. The RCMP told the family they’ve made an arrest in Canada tied to Bennett’s case, though they won’t confirm or deny details, only saying they’re “actively investigating.” For now, that’s cold comfort for a man stranded thousands of miles from home.
Bennett’s community hasn’t forgotten him. A crowdfunding campaign on GiveSendGo has raised over $31,000 to help cover expenses. But money can’t buy freedom from a foreign court’s backlog. Wilcox keeps fighting, rallying support, and pleading for her husband’s return. Until the paperwork clears, David Bennett remains a prisoner of circumstance in a country he was supposed to leave nearly two months ago.
The family has no timeline for when Bennett might return to Canada. The Dominican court system’s backlog continues to delay the necessary documentation. Wilcox and Bennett have two children waiting for their father at home in Burlington.