Posted on 04/23/2024 11:08:17 PM PDT by billorites
The U.S. State Department is warning travelers about strict new laws in Turks and Caicos Islands that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years for bringing guns or ammunition to the island.
An Oklahoma woman was reunited Tuesday with her young children after being detained for almost two weeks in Turks and Caicos Islands for allegedly violating their strict guns and ammunition law. Her husband is being held in the British Overseas Territory near the Bahamas.
Ryan and Valerie Watson, who live in Oklahoma, left for Turks and Caicos Islands on April 7 to celebrate the 40th birthdays of Ryan and two friends. When they went through security for their return flight, their carry-on was flagged and searched and officials found a Ziploc bag of bullets.
"They were hunting ammunition rounds that I use for whitetail deer," said Ryan, "and I recognized them and I thought, oh man, what a bonehead mistake that I had no idea that those were in there."
The two shared their story virtually with NBC10 Boston last week before their first court hearing. They were stuck on the island, their passports confiscated, separated from their young son and daughter.
"When I heard that, I immediately was terrified because I was like, we can't both be in prison for 12 years. We have kids at home. And this is such an innocent mistake that we didn't even know we weren't– we didn't even know it was there. So yeah, my immediate thought was our kids and them being, you know, parentless for, for that long," Valerie said.
The Watsons were questioned and charged with possession of ammunition. In 2022, Turks and Caicos passed an amendment with stiffer penalties for possession of weapons or ammunition, increasing the mandatory minimum prison sentence to 12 years.
Last September, the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas issued a travel alert warning Americans after a tourist from Indiana got an eight-month prison sentence for possession of ammunition.
The alert says: "We wish to remind all travelers that declaring a weapon in your luggage with an airline carrier does not grant permission to bring the weapon into TCI [Turks and Caicos Islands] and will result in your arrest.
"We strongly encourage you to carefully check your luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing for TCI. If you bring a firearm or ammunition into TCI, we will not be able to secure your release from custody. You are subject to TCI laws and must follow local law enforcement procedures," the alert continued.
Bryan Hagerich was detained by Turks and Caicos authorities after a family vacation in February when hunting ammunition was found in his luggage before he boarded a flight home. He said the ammunition was found in a bag he frequently used for weekend hunting trips.
"I've been here for almost 70 days now after posting bail. I've been out, right now just waiting to go to the hearing. That's where my case would be heard, then following that would be sentencing," Hagerich said.
Hagerich, who played baseball professionally and was once drafted by the Florida Marlins, lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two young kids. He spent eight days in prison before posting bail and is awaiting a May 3 court hearing.
"It's incredibly scary. You know, you just don't know what the next day may bring. You know, what path this may take. You know, you're in a completely different culture, a different country by yourself. You know, it's certainly a lot different than packing your bags and going away with your family for a few days. It's been the worst 70 days of my life," Hagerich said.
He and the Watsons are also dealing with the financial strain of paying for an extended stay and being away from their jobs.
"We've already talked, and we're like, what if, you know, what if we lose our house? Which, when we moved to Oklahoma, we built a home that we thought was our forever home. And to think that this is going to ruin us..." said an emotional Valerie.
"This is something that we may never recover from," Ryan said.
"I'm just very anxious, eager to get home to my family," said Hagerich. "This has been too long. You know, it's just had so much irreparable harm to my family, that, you know, I just can't continue to see them struggle anymore. I just want to hug my family and start this healing process together."
After their hearing yesterday, Ryan was sent to jail and is awaiting a bail hearing Wednesday. Charges were dropped for Valerie on Monday and she is now back in Oklahoma with her two children.
The judges in Turks and Caicos Islands are able to make exceptions to the mandatory minimum sentence if they determine there are "exceptional circumstances" in a case.
NBC10 Boston reached out to the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands' tourism bureau about the Watsons' situation and have not heard back. We contacted the State Department and a spokesperson told NBC10 Boston they are aware of the arrest of U.S. citizens in Turks and Caicos and that, "The U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas."
The spokesperson added, "When a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. In a foreign country, U.S. citizens are subject to that country's laws, even if they differ from those in the United States… As our security alert from September 22, 2023 states, in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), firearms, ammunition, and other weapons are not permitted. TCI authorities strictly enforce all firearms related laws. The penalty for traveling to TCI with a firearm, ammunition, or other weapon is a minimum custodial sentence of twelve (12) years. If a traveler brings a firearm or ammunition into TCI, the U.S. Department of State will not be able to secure their release from custody. Travelers are subject to TCI laws and must follow local law enforcement procedures."
The State Department said they are unable to provide the number of U.S. citizens charged with weapon/ammunition possession since the department is unable to track local arrests.
When I travel by air, I empty my carry-on, and pack for the trip I’m embarking upon. It’s at that very stage I make sure there are no 3006 or .308 rounds in my suitcase. Am I weird?
I can say first hand that about the ONLY priorities are US businesses, congress critter CODELs and those with political connections, not the average US tourist.
Agreed. There are some lefty states we simply refuse to travel in. MD and MA are two of them.
It's too bad, our own Country does not follow that statement, when it comes to illegal alien criminal invaders.
Auswitz
Not that long Ago.
Yuppers...
.22 spent rounds get Every Where!
perfect...
Yeah, the hypocrisy of it all.
Y’all don’t get it, laws are to control stupid people.
If you screw up do it like a criminal and ignore the LAW! time in jail is the same (or less).
Ignorance of the law is no excuse, so presume they are out to get you, be proactive and defeat them.
Thanks to statutes of limitations, I can say this, I’ve violated virtually every gun law in many states, because they are BS!!!!
Always buy executive travel insurance when going abroad.
This insurance MAY include paying a ransom/bribe when you’re kidnapped by a local gang or arrested by crooked local officials.
It MAY also include flying in a private aircraft (fixed or roto wing) to extract you from an airport after a communist coup.
It MAY include paying for extended SAR operations after you get lost in the jungle. (Most SAR efforts in third world countries will end after 24 hours, unless you personally pay for extended operations.)
It MAY include the services of private black op personnel to shot their way into a compound to remove your butt after you’re captured by cannibals, guerrillas or Che Maoists.
Read and understand your travel insurance before embarking.
Plenty of places to travel INSIDE the USA, IMO.
Reminds me of a trip flying to california where i used my go to work backpack for carry on. It contained Knife fork, spoon i use for lunches, my swiss army knife, A guitar tool that i used for my bike tuning up. I had my brother ship them all back figuring i wouldn’t be able to sneak them thru security twice
I cannot think of how to visit New England and have a pistol. New York blocks the entire land route, and I don’t like to fly with the rules today. Even worse, say you book a flight to a gun legal place and your gun is in the baggage. If the plane diverts to New York due to weather, mechanical trouble, etc, you still get a criminal charge for bring a gun to NY.
That is even though you did not schedule to fly there, and you had no say over where the plane diverted to. That case has actually happened.
NO clue. NH seems to becoming the last holdout for gun rights, although after a shooting at the Concord Hospital, I believe they made it a gun free zone.
Ping to someone who would know for sure.
Yep. Amazing how quickly we forget.
I do not know of a hospital in NH (or anywhere else) that does not ban weapons (including guns).
That is not a recent change. I graduated in 1976 and I have never seen it otherwise.
OK. I thought I had heard that this was a recent ruling.
It didn’t stop anything either, did it?
That’s because laws don’t stop criminals who have no compunction about breaking them.
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