Another American tourist was arrested Monday for carrying ammunition in his luggage to the Turks and Caicos Islands airport, weeks after the arrest of an American tourist in the Caribbean territory made national headlines .
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police told CBS News that “a visitor was arrested at Howard Hamilton International Airport yesterday (May 13) after ammunition was allegedly found during a routine security check.” . Police did not provide further details on the name or gender of the person arrested.
Monday’s arrest brought the total number of Americans accused for possession of ammunition on British territory at five. Four of the detained Americans said they brought the ammunition – but by mistake.
Ryan Watson, a 40-year-old Oklahoma father of two, made national headlines after ammunition was found in his luggage by airport security in April. He is currently out on bail – although he will be confined on the island while his case proceeds – and authorities require him to report to the Grace Bay police station every Tuesday and Thursday. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years in prison.
Just days after Watson’s arrest, Tyler Wenrich, 30 years old, a Virginia EMT and his father, were arrested before boarding a cruise ship on April 20. He faces a 12-year prison sentence after authorities allegedly found two bullets in his luggage last month.
“I feel, as a very honest mistake, that 12 years is absurd,” his wife, Jeriann Wenrich, told CBS News in April. who said she doesn’t want to see her 18 month old son grow up without a dad.
Bryan Hagerich is another American awaiting trial after ammunition was found in the Pennsylvania man’s checked bag in February. “I then spent eight nights in their local jail,” Hagerich told CBS News. “Some of the darkest, hardest times of my life, honestly.”
Possession of a firearm or ammunition is prohibited in the Turks and Caicos Islands, but previously tourists could only pay a fine. That changed in February when a court ruling required that even tourists potentially face mandatory prison time in addition to paying a fine. The territory’s attorney general said that if a court finds exceptional circumstances surrounding the discovery of ammunition, the sentencing judge has the discretion to impose a custodial sentence of less than 12 years.
Eight firearms and ammunition prosecutions involving tourists from the United States have been filed on the island since November 2022.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory in April urging Americans traveling to the Turks and Caicos Islands to “check their luggage carefully for lost ammunition or forgotten weapons before leaving the United States,” noting that “ declaring a weapon in your luggage with an airline does not grant permission to bring the weapon into the Turks and Caicos Islands and will result in your arrest.
“American gun owners may want to consider the actions of the Turks and Caicos Islands before risking a trip to the Caribbean jurisdiction,” the National Rifle Association said in a press release Monday. “Even American gun owners confident in their ability to purge their baggage of potential contraband might want to consider the wisdom of spending their money in a jurisdiction that would treat their countrymen in this manner.”
—Elizabeth Campbell, Kris Van Cleave and Alex Sundby contributed reporting.
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