Lawmakers from the US journey to Turks and Caicos Islands to advocate for freedom of American citizens imprisoned on ammunition offenses.
Recently, several Americans were detained in a British Overseas Territory where carrying firearms is not permitted. Each of these individuals had ammunition in their luggage "incidentally," as per the statement from the lawmakers.
Leading this trip were Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, along with Democratic Senator John Fetterman and GOP Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, Josh Brecheen, Michael Cloud, and Bob Good. These lawmakers met with officials from Turks and Caicos, including the governor, attorney general, minister of tourism, and police leaders, as per Mullin's office.
Unfortunately, despite their efforts to cooperate with Turks and Caicos officials for their constituents' release, they were unable to find a solution, Mullin said in the statement. "At present, well-meaning American citizens are facing a dozen years in prison solely because they unknowingly had one or two bullets in their luggage," he added.
Should these individuals face imprisonment, Mullin suggested that further measures might be necessary to ensure the protection of American citizens.
Among the detained individuals are Sharitta Grier (age 45), Michael Lee Evans (age 72), Bryan Hagerich (no age provided), Tyler Scott Wenrich (age 31), and Ryan Tyler Watson (age 40). They were all accused of bringing various quantities of ammunition to the chain of 40 islands located in the tropical Atlantic Ocean southeast of the Bahamas.
The government of Turks and Caicos strictly prohibits bringing firearms or ammunition, including stray bullets, into their territory without prior permission from police. The punishment for violating this law can be as severe as a minimum 12-year prison sentence, as stated by the US Embassy in the Bahamas in an advisory issued in April. The Turks and Caicos attorney general mentioned in a news release this month that while judges have the authority to reduce the minimum sentence and adjust fines in cases with "exceptional circumstances," it's worth noting that they can do so at their discretion.
CNN reporters Manu Raju, Fabiana Chaparro, Amanda Musa, and Michael Rios also contributed to this report.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
