American found with ammo in luggage on Turks and Caicos faces 12 years: 'Boneheaded mistake'

A tropical vacation has turned into a nightmare for an Oklahoma woman, who is trying to gather funds to bring her husband back home after he was detained in the Turks & Caicos Islands when bullets were found in his luggage.

Valerie Watson and her husband, Ryan Watson were in Turks & Caicos in the company of other couples they knew to celebrate “several of their friend’s 40th birthdays” earlier this month, according to reporting by The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The Watson family had their lives “turned upside down” on their way back to the states after Turks & Caicos airport security found four rounds of ammunition unknowingly left in a duffel bag from a deer hunting trip, according to a GoFundMe post made on behalf of the family.

“Now, they are facing a legal system that is unfamiliar, daunting, and expensive that operates differently than the American Justice System,” the description reads.

Valerie Watson has since been released from custody, flying home Tuesday as Ryan Watson awaits a June 7 court appearance, according to recent GoFoundMe update.

“We were trying to pack board shorts and flip flops. Packing ammunition was not at all our intent,” Valerie Watson told CBS News. 

USA TODAY has reached out to the Watson family for comment.

Here’s what we know.

Future looks uncertain for Watson family, ‘may never recover’ after this

Valerie Watson and her children are in limbo, waiting to find out how long her husband’s sentence will be.

The couple was questioned and subsequently charged with possession of ammunition, a charge that keep you in a Turks & Caicos prison up to 12 years, minimum.  They were stuck on the island without passports, unable to get back to their two young children which left Valerie Watson “terrified.”

“We can't both be in prison for 12 years. We have kids at home. And this is such an innocent mistake that we didn't even know we weren't– we didn't even know it was there. So yeah, my immediate thought was our kids and them being, you know, parentless for, for that long,” she shared with NBC10, a television station in Boston.

Ryan Watson maintains that it was a “bonehead mistake” on his part, not knowing that the ammunition rounds he typically uses to hunt whitetail deer were in his bag, an NBC affiliate reported.

"We've already talked, and we're like, what if, you know, what if we lose our house? Which, when we moved to Oklahoma, we built a home that we thought was our forever home. And to think that this is going to ruin us…” Valerie Watson told the affiliate.

The sentiment is echoed by Ryan Watson, who says “this is something that we may never recover from.”

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told USA TODAY Thursday that they are “aware of the arrest of U.S. citizens in Turks and Caicos.”

“When a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance …  In a foreign country, U.S. citizens are subject to that country’s laws, even if they differ from those in the United States.”

USA TODAY has reached out to The Government of the Turks & Caicos Islands for comment.

Other American tourists have faced a similar situation, Turks & Caicos government ‘stiffens’ regulations

The Watsons aren’t the first American tourists to experience a similar situation in the Turks & Caicos.

Bryan Hagerich, a Pennsylvania resident is currently awaiting trial after ammunition was found in his carry-on in February, CBS News reported.

“I subsequently spent eight nights in their local jail. Some of the darkest, hardest times of my life, quite frankly. These last 70 days have been kind of a roller coaster, just the pain and suffering of having your family at home and I'm here,” Hagerich shared with CBS News.

Turks and Caicos Islands prohibits anyone, regardless of status or origin, to possess a firearm, ammunition, or any other weapon.  The government issued a statement Wednesday on social media, writing that the Supreme Court is required to “impose a mandatory minimum sentence and a fine for certain firearm offenses.”

There can be “exceptions” made, but the court must still impose “both a sentence of imprisonment and a fine” that are in line with what the court would consider “exceptional circumstances.”

The government “stiffened” the penalties for firearm possession in February, noting that there were a handful of cases that the court found that there were “exceptional circumstances” leaving those accused tasked with paying a fine. One of those individuals was even given a “custodial sentence” below the mandatory minimum.

Eight firearms and ammunition prosecutions in total have been brought involving American tourists since November 2022, three of which are currently before the court with each of the defendants on bail, according to CBS News.

U.S. Embassy issues warning: Responsibility falls on you

Vedant Patel, spokesperson for the state department, addressed the arrest of U.S. citizens in Turks and Caicos in a recent press briefing, noting that the department put out a security alert in September of 2023 about the stringent restrictions on firearms in the Turks & Caicos.

“So – but beyond that, we are aware of these reports, and we are continuing to engage and provide all appropriate consular assistance,” he said.

In the days following the coverage of the Watson family, the U.S. Embassy Nassau urged all travelers headed to the islands to “carefully check your luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing from the United States.”

The embassy also reminded travelers that declaring a weapon in your luggage with an airline carrier does not mean they have permission to bring that weapon into the Turks and Caicos Islands

“TSA screening in the United States may not identify ammunition in your baggage; it is your responsibility to ensure your baggage is free of ammunition and/or firearms,” the embassy wrote. They also can not secure your release from custody, even if you brought the firearm in accidentally.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ammo found in bag on Turks and Caicos has Oklahoma man facing 12 years