(CMR) Several US officials visited the Turks and Caicos Islands on Monday, lobbying for the release of five US citizens who are facing potential prison time for possession of ammunition in their luggage. The delegates were unsuccessful in their bid to bring the five back to the US.
Under current laws, persons convicted of possession of ammunition in TCI could face up to 12 years in prison. However, many people in the US do not believe they should face such drastic consequences.
US Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told the Miami Herald that “despite our willingness to work with Turks and Caicos officials to get our constituents home, we were not able to find a path forward today.”
“We went in respectful of their sovereignty and with an open mind looking to find common ground. At this point, well-intentioned American citizens are facing a dozen years in prison, all for unknowingly having one or two bullets in their luggage. The unintended consequences of TCI’s law have been at the expense of well-intentioned American tourists, including a grandmother who had no intention of breaking the law,” he added.
Mullin said should US citizens receive prison sentences, the US will need to consider additional actions to safeguard American citizens.
Mullin was one of two US senators in the delegation, which also included three members of the House. Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd also visited, accompanied by a representative of the State Department, Angela Kerwin, and the US Embassy in Nassau, chargé d’affaires Jason Cro by. The lawmakers represented the five states where the individuals lived.
The five Americans were charged after the ammunition was found in their luggage during security screenings. Ammunition is among the items prohibited by the US Transportation Security Administration when traveling, but they weren’t detected when the travelers departed from the United States.
Ryan Watson was leaving TCI with his wife after their vacation to celebrate his 40th birthday when he was arrested for four rounds of ammunition left in his bag from a deer-hunting trip.
Several tourists have been arrested in the Cayman Islands under similar circumstances; however, they usually just pay a fine. A retired US Army lieutenant colonel who was intercepted with a loaded magazine in his luggage at the Owen Roberts International Airport in March was fined $22,500 by the Summary Court.