Governors Urge Return of 3 Americans Detained in Turks and Caicos Islands for Allegedly Carrying Ammunition

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Smithfield, Va., on Oct. 27, 2022. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Three U.S. governors are calling on Turks and Caicos authorities to release three American travelers currently detained on the islands after being charged with carrying ammunition in their luggage.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt asked Turks and Caicos Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam to “reconsider” the charges against the three Americans.

The travelers—Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania, Tyler Wenrich of Virginia, and Ryan Watson of Oklahoma—could face a minimum sentence of 12 years under the British Overseas Territory’s gun laws.

They were among five Americans arrested on the islands, including Michael Lee Evans of Texas and Sharitta Shinise Grier of Orlando. Ms. Grier was recently arrested on May 14.

“Like thousands of Americans each year, these individuals traveled to your beautiful territory recently for leisure,” the governors said in a May 14 joint letter addressed to Ms. Daniel-Selvaratnam.

They said the travelers were not carrying firearms during their trip to the islands, and that “any ammunition unknowingly left in their luggage was the result of lawful conduct in the United States.”

“As governors, we understand and appreciate the critical importance of upholding the laws and regulations of your territory for the protection of your citizens,” the letter reads.

“We humbly ask that your government—in its wisdom—temper justice with mercy and recognize that these men made mistakes but had no apparent malicious intent,” it added.

Ammunition Not Detected by TSA

Mr. Watson and his wife, Valerie Watson, visited the Turks and Caicos Islands in April to celebrate their friend’s 40th birthday.

They were flying home to Oklahoma when local airport security found four rounds of ammunition “unknowingly left in a duffel bag from a deer hunting trip,” according to a GoFundMe page dedicated to their release.

“It was not noticed by TSA when leaving America. Now, they are facing a legal system that is unfamiliar, daunting, and expensive that operates differently than the American Justice System,” the page states. Both were arrested, but Ms. Watson was later released.

Mr. Hagerich and Mr. Wenrich were arrested in February and April, respectively, when airport security found ammunition in their luggage while they were passing through a security checkpoint.

The Turks and Caicos government stated on April 26 that the importation of firearms and ammunition, including stray bullets, is strictly prohibited “unless [a] license to do so has been issued by the Commissioner of Police.”

“The Transportation Security Administration screening in the United States may not identify ammunition in a traveller’s baggage; it is the traveller’s responsibility to ensure their baggage is free of ammunition and/or firearms,” it stated on social media platform X.

The State Department has also issued a travel alert urging Americans traveling to the islands to carefully check their luggage “for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons” before departing to the airport.

“Firearms, ammunition (including stray bullets), and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI),” the alert reads.

“Declaring a weapon in your luggage with an airline carrier does not grant permission to bring the weapon into the Turks and Caicos Islands and will result in your arrest,” it added.