An Oklahoma man, Ryan Watson, is facing up to 12 years in prison in the British overseas territory of Turks and Caicos after customs officials discovered a Ziploc bag of bullets in his luggage during a routine check. Watson and his wife, Valerie, were returning home from a birthday celebration when their carry-on luggage was flagged by customs officials. Inside the bag, officials found a Ziploc bag containing bullets. Watson claimed to airport staff that the bullets were hunting ammunition he typically uses for deer hunting back in the States and that he had accidentally brought them with him on the trip.
Despite Watson’s explanation, authorities detained the couple, prohibiting them from leaving the island, and confiscating their passports. The couple was charged with possession of ammunition, according to the outlet. Their detainment comes at a time when the Turks and Caicos island enacted strict new gun laws, with a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 12 years for bringing guns or ammunitions to the island.
Valerie was eventually allowed to return home to Oklahoma City, where she reunited with her two young children, after the charges against her were dropped. However, Ryan remains locked up on the island.
The incident highlights the strict gun laws enforced in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In September 2022, the US embassy in the Bahamas issued a travel advisory warning travelers against bringing firearms, ammunition, and other weapons to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). The alert stated that TCI authorities strictly enforce all firearms-related laws and that the penalty for traveling to TCI with a firearm, ammunition, or other weapon is a minimum custodial sentence of 12 years.
Turks and Caicos, known for its beautiful beaches and coastlines, is a popular tourist destination located north of the Dominican Republic and southeast of the Bahamas.
