COCKBURN TOWN — The families of four Americans charged in Turks and Caicos for carrying ammunition insisted this week that their loved ones were “unjustly detained” on the island awaiting legal proceedings.
Last week, the government of the Turks and Caicos confirmed that they had charged four American men for collectively carrying 33 rounds of ammunition. It identified the four men as Michael Lee Evans, Bryan Hagerich, Tyler Scott Wenrich and Ryan Tyler Watson.
In a statement published on social media last week, the government said their islands “have clear laws against the possession of firearms and/or ammunition and strict penalties in order to serve and protect the community.”
As of last week, Hagerich and Evans had each pled guilty to charges.
It is illegal to transport firearms or ammunition to or from any of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries – including Turks and Caicos – without a license, according to the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which warns travelers repeatedly on its site.
Following a big jump in gun violence and weapons trafficking in Turks and Caicos, the government significantly tightened their gun laws in 2022. Violating the law could result in a minimum 12 year prison sentence, though the government said that can be lowered in “exceptional circumstances.”
According to a post by relatives on the fundraising site GoFundMe, the four men were on vacation on the islands celebrating a friend’s birthday and when they tried to return home security found “ammunition unknowingly left in a duffel bag from a deer hunting trip” which went unnoticed by authorities when leaving the United States.
Turks and Caicos said in its statement that it is “the travelers’ responsibility to ensure their baggage is free of” weapons and ammunition, which is “strictly forbidden” without prior permission. ATF also warns it is the “responsibility of the traveler to research local laws.”
The families called for help in paying for mounting legal fees and living expenses, and as of Friday had raised more than $220,000. Authorities and the post say the men have been released on bail, but the families allege that Hagerich “has been unjustly detained in Turks for 81 days now” others have spent weeks stuck on the island awaiting legal proceedings separated from their children and families.
“They are facing a legal system that is unfamiliar, daunting, and expensive that operates differently than the American Justice System,” read the post.
Jessica Byrd, organizer of the funding campaign and Watson’s older sister, said Hagerich, who pled guilty to possession of twenty rounds of rifle ammunition, was set to go on trial on Friday. She added he was was likely to be sentenced that same day or next week.
Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean
The four American suspects 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 rounds, 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 U.S. 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.”
According to the post from the Turks and Caicos government, the four Americans are: Michael Lee Evans, 72; Bryan Hagerich (no age listed); Tyler Scott Wenrich, 31; and Ryan Tyler Watson, 40.
‘Darkest days and nights of my life’
Hagerich detailed his recent arrest in Turks and Caicos in an ABC exclusive after pleading guilty to bringing live ammunition into the islands while on vacation.
He is expected to be sentenced on May 29, a lawyer representing him told CNN. A court heard pre-sentencing arguments from Hagerich’s defense team and prosecutors on Friday, according to his attorney, Oliver Smith. Smith said he is challenging “the constitutionality of the legislation as it relates to how the judge can sentence a defendant under the current law.”
The court is expected to rule on that constitutional point and sentence Hagerich according to its ruling on May 29, Smith said.
In the interview with ABC’s Matt Rivers ahead of the court proceedings, Hagerich said bringing the ammunition with him was an accident.
Hagerich was arrested in February after several rounds of ammunition were found in his luggage while going through airport security, he told ABC. Hagerich and his family were leaving Turks and Caicos and returning home following a vacation with their children, he said.
While at the airport, Hagerich told ABC his name was called over the PA system after his bag was selected for random search.
Authorities then found hunting ammunition Hagerich said he’d forgotten was in his bag following a recent trip.
Bryan’s wife, Ashley, told ABC she begged officials to go easy on them.
“I remember pleading like, ‘Can’t we just pay a fine? Like it was an honest mistake,’” Ashley told ABC, “And it was a firm, ‘No.’”
Hagerich told the outlet in an interview aired Friday morning that he was arrested in front of his children, aged four and six, and spent eight nights in jail.
“Those were the absolute darkest days and nights of my life,” Hagerich said.
Hagerich pleaded guilty to possession of 20 rounds of ammunition, according to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government.
Hagerich is asking for leniency.
“I’m the first to acknowledge that I take full responsibility for my actions.” But Hagerich added, “There are alternative ways that this can be handled and dealt with that are within the laws of Turks and Caicos that will allow me to return home to my family.”
More ammunition-related offenses
While out on bail, Hagerich has been sharing a short-term rental with another American recently charged under the law, Ryan Watson, he told ABC.
“This is like probably the loneliest I’ve ever been in my entire life,” Watson told ABC’s Matt Rivers. “To have somebody that’s experiencing the, the very same thing as you… It gives you some bit of support,” he added.
Watson was arrested at the Howard Hamilton International Airport on the island of Providenciales on April 12 for a similar offense, according to TCI police. 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.
His next court hearing is set for June 7, according to the TCI Government.
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.
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.
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 – Michael Lee Evans and Tyler Scott Wenrich – 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.
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.
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