By Amanda Musa | CNN
Four Americans are charged with possession of ammunition offenses in the tropical Atlantic getaway of Turks and Caicos, according to a post from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government.
Carrying firearms in Turks and Caicos is prohibited, according to the TCI Government. Bringing firearms or ammunition, including stray bullets, into the British Overseas Territory without prior permission from police is “strictly forbidden.”
Individuals who violate the law face a minimum 12 years in prison, according to an April advisory from the US Embassy in the Bahamas. A post on X from the island government said judges do have discretion to lower the minimum when there are “exceptional circumstances.”
One of the individuals, Ryan Watson, was arrested at the Howard Hamilton International Airport on the island of Providenciales on April 12, according to TCI police.
Watson and his wife, Valerie, were detained upon departure of Turks and Caicos where they had been celebrating several of their friends’ 40th birthdays, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the family with expenses.
Airport security found four rounds of ammunition “unknowingly left in a duffel bag from a deer hunting trip,” the post said.
Valerie Watson was released of charges and allowed to return to Oklahoma, an April 23 update from the fundraising page shows. The page does not give a reason for her release.
The TCI government has declined to comment further on the Americans arrested.
After posting a $15,000 bail, Watson was released from jail on April 24 but was forced to surrender his passport and remain on the archipelago, TCI police say. His next court hearing is set for June 7.
The ammunition was “not noticed by TSA when leaving America,” the GoFundMe post said. “Now, they are facing a legal system that is unfamiliar, daunting, and expensive.”
In a statement to CNN, the TSA confirmed Wednesday that four rounds of ammunition were not detected in a traveler’s bag during a security screening at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, from which Watson was traveling.
“TSA takes its security mission very seriously,” a TSA spokesperson said. “TSA is here to protect our transportation security systems, and an oversight occurred that the agency is addressing internally.”
The agency added that it is working on perfecting systems that detect prohibited items to ensure seamless and safe travel.
Another man visiting Turks and Caicos from Pennsylvania is set to appear before a TCI court Friday on similar charges, according to CNN affiliate WPXI.
Detained in February
Bryan Hagerich was detained while trying to fly home from a vacation in February.
Similar to Watson, Hagerich has said that he did not know he had ammunition in one of his bags, according to CNN affiliate WPXI. His wife, Ashley, called it an honest mistake.
“That’s a bag my husband has used numerous times on hunting trips, and going to hunting camp, and it was just leftover in a secure pouch and it was just forgotten about,” Ashley told WPXI. “The crime just doesn’t fit the sentencing and the repercussions of this.”
Hagerich pleaded guilty to carrying 20 rifle rounds, according to the TCI Government.
CNN has reached out to the Watson and Hagerich families for more information on their cases and is attempting to reach attorneys for both men.
Two additional Americans – a 31-year-old from Virginia and a 72-year-old from Texas – are also facing lengthy prison sentences for possessing ammunition, according to the TCI Government.
“Travellers are strongly advised to search their luggage before they travel to the Turks and Caicos Islands to ensure they do not bring in forbidden items inadvertently,” the TCI Government post said. “The Transportation Security Administration screening in the United States may not identify ammunition in a traveller’s baggage.”
Airline passengers are also encouraged to research local laws when traveling internationally and to start packing for trips with an empty bag, the TSA said.
Know before you go to Turks and Caicos
Prospective tourists considering a trip to Turks and Caicos do have access to warnings from TCI and the US State Department about the British Overseas Territory’s weapons and ammunition laws – if you know where to find them online.
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Last month, the State Department released a travel warning advising Americans to “carefully check your luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing from the United States. Firearms, ammunition (including stray bullets), and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). TCI authorities strictly enforce all firearms-and-ammunition-related laws.”
There is also more detailed information on the department’s Turks and Caicos webpage under the header of “Local Laws & Special Circumstances.” Travelers can find out critical information from the State Department for any destination here.
CNN’s Michael Rios, Tanika Gray and Forrest Brown contributed to this report.
