In the US we often take our rights for granted, this scenario is terrible for the people involved, and should serve as a reminder why fighting for ALL your rights is so important!
An Oklahoma man is behind bars in Turks & Caicos and facing 12 YEARS in prison after airport security found 4 bullets that he had inadvertently left in his luggage. 40-year old Ryan Watson and his wife Valerie were on the island for a friend’s 40th birthday, and as they were going through security to leave, a small bag of bullets was found in his luggage. Ryan, an avid hunter, says that he immediately recognized the ammo from a recent deer hunting trip. “I recognized them and thought, ‘what a bonehead mistake.’ I had no idea that those were in there.” Both Ryan and his wife were initially charged, and because the nation passed strict gun control laws in 2022 that mandated a minimum sentence of 12 years for anyone found in possession of ammunition, were facing lengthy prison sentences and had their passports seized. But earlier this week Valerie had her charges dropped and was able to return home to their kids after spending 11 days on the island. Ryan, on the other hand, is still facing charges, and both Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt and Senator Markwayne Mullin are fighting to help secure his release. In a letter sent to Turks & Caicos officials on April 16, Governor Stitt called Watson “an avid outdoorsman,” and the ammunition “an inadvertent oversight, not an intentional attempt to break the law.”
Apparently the ammo was missed by TSA when the Watsons left America, which seems like it was a pretty big miss on their part. And now it’s one that’s caused the Oklahoma native and hunter to be staring down 12 years in prison in a foreign country. He’s also not the only American currently in Turks & Caicos due to an oversight while packing: Bryan Hagerich, a former professional baseball player who was once drafted by the Florida Marlins, is also awaiting trial after hunting ammo was found in his checked luggage earlier this year. The court on the island recently issued an order that even tourists visiting or leaving the island found in possession of ammunition are subject to mandatory imprisonment.
According to the US embassy this Travel Alert was sent back on Sep. 23
“Firearms, ammunition, and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). 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. 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 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.”
“I’ve been told that there’s, you know, quite a bit of restricted communication while you’re in prison, and so I’m just trying to soak up as much of that as I can,” Ryan Watson, a 40-year-old father of two from Oklahoma, told CBS News.
Watson is out on bail, but he said he can’t leave the country and has to check in at a local police station twice a week. He’s facing a potential mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years behind bars. “It’s something that I’m deeply, deeply sorry for,” Watson said Monday. “I completely respect their laws and, you know, stand behind what they’re trying to accomplish with their gun laws, but I just still pray that there’s some consideration that there was zero intent behind this and this was 100% a mistake and an accident.”
“I don’t see how imprisoning me is going to help them in any way, you know, but, yeah, that’s not my decision to make unfortunately,” he told CBS News.
Watson was arrested April 12 when four rounds of hunting ammunition were found in his carry-on luggage as he and his wife Valerie Watson were trying to head home after a vacation in the British territory. Valerie Watson isn’t facing charges and returned to the couple’s 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter in Oklahoma last week.
Watson is one of several Americans who have been detained in the territory in recent months under similar circumstances. Michael Grim from Indiana served almost six months in prison after pleading guilty to having ammunition in his checked bag.
“No clean running water. You’re kind of exposed to the environment 24/7,” he told CBS News. “Mosquitoes and tropical illnesses are a real concern.”
Watson hopes the U.S. State Department will help find a resolution for all the Americans whose cases are pending in Turks and Caicos.
“It’s tearing families apart right now,” he said, “and I’ve got two kids at home that- their little hearts don’t understand what’s going on.”