Ryan Watson, Oklahoma man facing 12 years jail in Turks and Caicos after U.S tourist accidentally brings ammunition on his carry on luggage during Caribbean vacation.
An Oklahoma man faces the potential of up to 12 years in prison after custom officials at a Caribbean island found the U.S tourist with ammunition in his luggage.
Ryan Watson traveled to Turks and Caicos with his wife, Valerie, to celebrate his 40th birthday on April 7. They went with two friends who also turned 40.
The vacation came to an abrupt end when airport staff found a zip-close bag containing bullets in the couple’s carry-on luggage. Watson said it was hunting ammunition he had accidentally brought with him — but a strict law in Turks and Caicos may still see a court imposing a mandatory 12-year sentence.
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‘They were hunting ammunition rounds that I use for whitetail deer,’ Watson told NBC Boston in an interview following a first court appearance on Tuesday.
‘I recognized them and I thought, ‘Oh man, what a bonehead mistake that I had no idea that those were in there,” he said.
The couple were arrested and charged with possession of ammunition. Authorities seized their passports and explained the penalties they faced.
In 2022, Turks and Caicos passed an amendment with stiffer penalties for possession of weapons or ammunition, increasing the mandatory minimum prison sentence to 12 years.
‘When I heard that, I immediately was terrified because I was like, we can’t both be in prison for 12 years. We have kids at home and this is such an innocent mistake,’ wife, Valerie Watson said after initially being detained with her husband for two weeks.
The charges against her were dropped and she returned home to Oklahoma City on Tuesday after the court hearing to be reunited with her two young children.
New law going into effect mandating strict jail time bringing ammunition on board carry on baggage
‘Our goal is to get Ryan home because we can’t be a family without Dad,’ the spouse said.
The couple also spoke of the financial burden of a much longer-than-planned trip. ‘This is something that we may never recover from,’ Ryan Watson said.
The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas issued a warning to travelers in September about a law that strongly prohibits possession of firearms or ammunition in Turks and Caicos, an overseas British territory southeast of the Bahamas that is a popular vacation spot.
It stated: ‘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 [Turks and Caicos Islands] and will result in your arrest.’
The embassy added: ‘If you bring a firearm or ammunition into TCI, we will not be able to secure your release from custody.’
Understanding what may be allowable in the U.S may not necessarily be allowed overseas
While ammunition is prohibited in carry-on baggage, U.S law allows the transportation of bullets in checked baggage. The TSA stipulates that Firearm magazines and ammunition clips, whether loaded or empty, must be securely boxed or included within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm.
It is believed U.S customs missed pulling aside the Watsons after the man ‘accidentally’ carrying the ammunition with him on to his flight overseas.
While take on board items including carry on prescription drugs might be allowable in the United States, they may not necessarily be legal abroad as what happened to one U.S woman after bringing CBD Gummies on board a Carnival Cruise in November of last year.
The Watson’s drama echoes that of a similar case, in which Bryan Hagerich, from Pennsylvania, was arrested after ammunition was found in his luggage before he attempted to board a flight out of Turks and Caicos in February. He said he accidentally left it in his bag.
Hagerich a former professional baseball player, was on a family vacation with his wife and two young children but has now been in the country for 70 days. He spent eight days in prison before posting bail.
‘It’s incredibly scary. You know, you just don’t know what the next day may bring. You know, what path this may take,’ Hagerich told NBC Boston.
‘You know, it’s certainly a lot different than packing your bags and going away with your family for a few days. It’s been the worst 70 days of my life,’ he said.
The man’s case is to go on trial on May 3.
