Tyler Wenrich, Powhatan, Virginia man arrested in Turks and Caicos after being found with ammunition at a check in upon departing a cruise ship and entering the Caribbean island which strictly forbids weapons and ammunition and which carries 12 year prison term for such offenses.
And yet again. Is it just hubris of perceived American exceptionalism or just stupidity…?
In less than twice this month, a second U.S tourist has been arrested in the Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos after ammunition was found in a traveler’s luggage as they alighted from a cruise ship.
Tyler Scott Wenrich, 31, of Powhatan, Virginia, was charged on Tuesday, April 23 after an undisclosed number of bullets were discovered at a security checkpoint, leading to his arrest by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force according to a Facebook release.
Possessing a gun or ammunition is strictly prohibited in Turks and Caicos with the island now mandating a minimum 12 year prison sentence for those individuals found guilty of such offenses. Previous offenders had been subjected to hefty fines.
Tweeted the U.S State Department on Wednesday, ‘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.’
The Virginia man’s arrest comes just weeks after Oklahoma father-of-two Ryan Watson was charged earlier this month with the same offense, as a handful of deer hunting bullets were found in his carry-on luggage after American TSA missed them on his departing flight.
TSA law forbids the carrying of ammunition on carry on luggage and ammunition can only be carried with strict permission in stowed luggage (presumably common knowledge to all travellers post 9-11).
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.
Arrested Virginia man to appear in court June 7
Wenrich’s arrest came as he departed the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship, that entered Turks and Caicos’ only cruise port on the day Wenrich was arrested.
Wenrich appeared before a Grand Turk Magistrate on Thursday and was taken into custody at the island’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with Wenrich scheduled to return for a June 7 court date, according to Caribbean Loop News.
It remained unclear if Wenrich had been bailed out of custody. According to his Facebook profile, Wenrich is a paramedic and emergency medical technician, and lives in Virginia with his wife Jeriann, a dental hygienist.
The couple appear to have recently welcomed a child together.
Although local reports do not specify if Wenrich claimed he did not know the bullets – which were not accompanied by a firearm – were in his luggage, his case appears to have been triggered by similar circumstances to that of Oklahoma man, Ryan Watson’s arrest.
Respecting international rule of law beyond US borders
The surge in recent arrests comes despite a warning sent out by US travel officials in September, 2023 in response to the updated law, alerting Americans to double check their luggage for loose bullets or firearms.
Despite Ryan Watson and wife, Valerie’s insistence that the ammunition was accidentally left from a previous hunting trip, Turks and Caicos prosecutors maintained that the crime is a serious offense in the nation.
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, such as prescription drugs and ammunition might be allowable in the United States, they may not necessarily be legal abroad as exhibited in another case involving another US tourist (from Texas) who brought CBD Gummies on board a Carnival Cruise in November of last year.
Despite the potential of spending up to 12 years in jail, Watson, made bond on Wednesday after securing a $15,000 bond, CBS News reported. He is remanded to remain on the island with a scheduled court date set for June 7.
Bryan Hagerich, yet another American who was also arrested for allegedly having ammo in his luggage back in February, goes before a judge May 3, with sentencing likely to happen shortly after.
The recent spate of arrests have since led to a gun rights group urging its members not to travel to Turks and Caicos because of the recent arrests.
‘To all U.S. gun owners, Do Not Travel to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory located southeast of the Bahamas, and if you have already made plans, reconsider your destination,’ the Second Amendment Association wrote.
