5 U.S. Tourists Who Had Bullets Face Mandatory 12 Year Sentences in Turks & Caicos

OneEyedDiva

OneEyedDiva

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This story has been in the news over the past couple of weeks. What were supposed to be vacation dreams turned into nightmares when bullets were found in each tourist's luggage. This has split up young families and caused financial hardships that are likely to continue and even get worse. My first thought after the third and fourth arrests was..didn't they see news about the severe punishment that was in store for the first and second man? :unsure: The last to be detained is an American woman who was detained this month. There was never a mention of any guns, just the bullets.

By the time I saw the news about arrest number 4 and definitely by the 5th, I began to wonder if those bullets had been planted, but none of them denied that the bullets were theirs. One man said he hunted deer, another said the bullets were left over from his visit to a firing range. The woman said the bullets were out of her view because they had fallen under the flap of her bag. The wife of one of the men detained in April was also arrested but later released and able to return home to their children.

A couple of years ago Turks & Caicos instituted stricter gun and ammunition laws which the tourists were likely unaware of. I know honest mistakes can be made, but I feel one should be meticulous when packing to go to another country as far as making sure no guns, ammo, drugs (even prescription medications not in their original bottles) or unknown substances are in their luggage. Unfortunately, the U.S. lawmakers who went to the island to negotiate the release of the five were not successful. There is still the hope that due to extenuating circumstances of these cases and perhaps the characters of the detainees will lead to their release. It has happened in another case. Video included here:
5 Americans held in Turks and Caicos for having ammunition as U.S. lawmakers fail to secure their release
 

davey said:
sounds like they didn't realize it was a country that does those sorta things?
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What sorta things?

I dont think you can blame the other country

None of the people denied the bullets were theirs.

Bottom line - don't take chances, if a country doesn't allow bullets, drugs whatever - don't take them. And check and make absolutely sure you are not taking them. And check and make absolutely sure you know what you can and cannot take.
 
Doesn't give me warm fuzzies that our TSA & all of their equipment didn't find them here before the left the states & this place did.

I looked up the State Department travel advisories & a notice for them went up on April 24th of this year about ammunition. Another one was posted prior to this in September of 2023 for that.

Turks and Caicos Islands International Travel Information
 
I wasn't familiar with this story, so I plan to check it out... but in the meantime, funny thing happened. 😁
I couldn't sleep past 3 a.m. as always, so I poked in the forum to see if anything was going on. This thread was there and my poor foggy brain was confused. Thought pattern: "What in the world is a 'bullets face' and why would five tourists have one of them?" :unsure::ROFLMAO: :rolleyes:
 
CallMeKate said:
I wasn't familiar with this story, so I plan to check it out... but in the meantime, funny thing happened. 😁
I couldn't sleep past 3 a.m. as always, so I poked in the forum to see if anything was going on. This thread was there and my poor foggy brain was confused. Thought pattern: "What in the world is a 'bullets face' and why would five tourists have one of them?" :unsure::ROFLMAO: :rolleyes:
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Me too...4am. this what I imagined ( almost )... :)

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While the punishment seems harsh , what do you think the reaction in the US would be if a tourist from Turkey was caught having ammo in their luggage ?

"
Non-immigrant aliens, including tourists, are generally prohibited from possessing or receiving ammunition in the United States, unless they meet certain exceptions. These exceptions include:
  • Being a citizen or national of the Visa Waiver Program
  • Having a valid hunting license or permit
  • Being admitted for lawful hunting
Non-immigrant aliens who want to temporarily import ammunition into the United States for hunting or sporting purposes must first get an approved ATF Form 6NIA (5330.3D).

In addition, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) requires a permit to visit the United States with ammunition or guns, even for hunters, diplomats, and foreign law enforcement agents.

International regulations and some US airlines limit the amount of ammunition a passenger can bring to 11 pounds (5 kg) gross weight. Ammunition for small arms, such as shotgun shells and cartridges up to 19.1 mm (.75 caliber), is included in this limit.

Unlawful possession of ammunition or a firearm is a Class A misdemeanor, which can result in a fine of up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail. "
 
Not all countries have lax gun laws, nor do they want daily shootings so common that most no longer even hit the local news.

I guess my questions are:
What in the heck were those bullets doing in their luggage in the first place?
Which TSA officer was snoozing on the job in the US airport?
Is there a better way for the fancy equipment at airports to pick these up since humans are falling down on the job?

In Grand Cayman an American was recently fined $22,500 when a loaded magazine in his carry on as he was departing GC, meaning he brought it in with him. He could have been fined up to $100K and 20 years in prison.

"Oops, sorry. That's legal where I come from," carries little weight when traveling abroad. As Brittney Griner can attest.
 
"They were hunting ammunition rounds that I use for whitetail deer,"

OK. So they were not "bullets" They were cartridges consisting of a casing, powder, a primer, and a bullet.

Am I being anal here?
 
CallMeKate said:
I wasn't familiar with this story, so I plan to check it out... but in the meantime, funny thing happened. 😁
I couldn't sleep past 3 a.m. as always, so I poked in the forum to see if anything was going on. This thread was there and my poor foggy brain was confused. Thought pattern: "What in the world is a 'bullets face' and why would five tourists have one of them?" :unsure::ROFLMAO: :rolleyes:
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Oh yeah, your brain was definitely foggy Kate! and @Paco Dennis. :ROFLMAO: Sometimes it's hard to string together the right words to make topics interesting, yet coherent when the amount of words we can use is limited.

@Lilac "Doesn't give me warm fuzzies that our TSA & all of their equipment didn't find them here before the left the states & this place did."
Excellent point! I didn't even think about that.
 
Lilac said:
Doesn't give me warm fuzzies that our TSA & all of their equipment didn't find them here before the left the states & this place did.
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Is it illegal to carry bullets in your luggage in the US? If not, the TSA doesn’t know where you’re going.

I have to admit security has sometimes checked my luggage for what they thought were strange things.
 
don't worry too much its a british overseas territory - they'll probably get let off by charlie with a stern ticking off and don't come back??
 
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