An Oklahoma man, Ryan Watson, is facing a potential 12-year prison sentence in Turks and Caicos after customs officials discovered ammunition in his luggage during a birthday vacation with his wife and friends.
Watson claims the bullets were hunting ammunition he had inadvertently packed, but the strict laws in the Caribbean island nation may still impose a mandatory 12-year sentence for possession of ammunition.
Watson and his wife, Valerie, were arrested and charged upon arrival, with authorities seizing their passports and explaining the severe penalties they faced. Valerie’s charges were dropped, and she returned home to Oklahoma City to reunite with their children, but Ryan remains in Turks and Caicos, facing the possibility of an extended prison term.
“Our goal is to get Ryan home because we can’t be a family without Dad,” Valerie Watson said in an interview with NBC Boston, expressing concern over the financial burden and the potential long-term separation from their family.
Turks and Caicos, a British Overseas Territory, have strict gun laws where possession of firearms or ammunition is strictly prohibited. The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas has warned travelers about these laws, stating that declaring weapons or ammunition to airline carriers does not grant permission to bring them into the country and will result in arrest.
The case of Ryan Watson is not an isolated incident. In February, another American, Bryan Hagerich from Pennsylvania, was arrested after ammunition was found in his luggage before his departure from Turks and Caicos. The man spent eight days in prison before posting bail and has been in the country for 70 days awaiting trial on May 3.
