Five Americans, including one from Pennsylvania, have been detained in Turks and Caicos for carrying ammunition in their luggage despite not realizing they had it. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania led a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers to the islands to urge officials for their release. The group included Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, Josh Brecheen, Michael Cloud, and Bob Good from Oklahoma, Virginia, Texas respectively.
The Americans are currently facing substantial prison time due to the strict enforcement of Turks and Caicos' firearms laws. One American was allowed to return home due to medical reasons but pleaded guilty. The other four individuals remain detained.
Turks and Caicos officials have shown a lack of willingness to work in good faith for the safe return of the detainees, according to Rep. Reschenthaler.
The Americans are in good spirits but want to go home as they face substantial time in prison because of their mistake. The lawmakers urged officials for leniency and called on Turks and Caicos to ensure that future U.S. tourists will not have to experience this ordeal during their vacations.
The U.S. State Department has warned Americans traveling to Turks and Caicos to carefully check their luggage before leaving the U.S.
Background: Possessing either a gun or ammunition is prohibited in Turks and Caicos, but tourists were previously able to just pay a fine for such infractions. However, this changed in February when a court order required even tourists to potentially face mandatory prison time in addition to paying a fine.
The detained individuals are Bryan Hagerich from Pennsylvania, Michael Lee Evans from Texas, Sharitta Grier from Florida, and Ryan Tyler Watson from Virginia.
Note: Turks and Caicos is a British territory.
