Americans detained in Turks and Caicos after ammunition was found in their luggage describe “nightmare” situation: “Just so unreal”

A Florida grandmother was returning home with her daughter after a surprise Mother’s Day dream vacation to the Turks and Caicos Islands when it turned into a nightmare. Airport security said they spotted two bullets lodged under a flap in Sharitta Grier’s carry-on bag.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Grier, of Orlando, said in an interview on “CBS Mornings.” “It was so unreal to me. And all they kept saying was, ‘This is a serious charge, uh, mandatory 12 years in prison.’ 12 years?”

Grier, a grandmother, said she spent a few nights in jail.

“They chained me to a chair by my legs,” she said. “It’s cold. I was scared. It was horrible. It was so horrible. I couldn’t sleep, no peace. A nightmare.”

Grier is one of five Americans face a potential mandatory prison sentence of 12 years after being arrested on British soil over ammunition allegedly found in their luggage. The five Americans said they did not realize the ammunition was in their bag.

When asked how she thought the bullets ended up in her luggage, Grier said she locks the box that stores her ammunition and puts it at the top of her closet when her grandchildren visit. She thinks it might have fallen out of her luggage when she put it away.

“The only thing I think about is I put it on top of my closet, the ammo fell out of the box inside, from the box inside the suitcase, I’ll say carry-on bag and fell under this flap in the carry-on bag. I couldn’t just open the bag and see it at the bottom,” she said. “I would have to remove the entire flap from the bottom of this suitcase to see it. There was no way I could see it, hear it or anything in that bag.”

Possession of a firearm or ammunition is illegal in Turks and Caicos Islands, but was previously subject to a fine. In February, a court ruling imposed a mandatory prison sentence, even for tourists, in addition to paying a fine.

Another of the five is Ryan Watsonfather of two from Oklahoma, away from his family for more than 40 days, will appear in court next week.

Watson was arrested April 12 when four rounds of hunting ammunition were found in his carry-on bag as he and his wife, Valerie Watson, attempted to return home from a vacation. Valerie Watson does not face charges and has returned to the couple’s children in Oklahoma.

“I wake up every day thinking this is going to make more sense to me, and it’s not,” Watson said. “I can tell the kids are suffering. It’s probably too much weight for an adult, uh, let alone a 7 or 9 year old to bear.”

Watson earlier told CBS News that the ammunition may have been left in his bag after traveling to Texas for a hunting trip. The Transportation Security Administration acknowledged that its agents missed it when the Watsons went through security in Oklahoma City at the start of their trip to the Turks and Caicos.

“We can never stop everything we want to stop,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “So we have these hiccups. We take them very seriously and are doing everything we can to figure out why.”

Another tourist, Bryan Hagerich, a father of two from Pennsylvania, expects to be sentenced Friday, in a possible sign of what’s to come for other Americans.

“I think, you know, Brian’s case is going to set a precedent for all of us,” Watson said. “We’re still very busy praying right now that, uh, exceptional circumstances will be found.”

At the same time, pressure is increasing on this tourist hotspot, with the American governors from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Oklahoma sending letters asking for clemency. A congressional delegation recently left the islands after meeting with top leaders.

“Like thousands of Americans each year, these individuals traveled to your beautiful land for leisure,” the U.S. governors wrote. “We humbly ask your government – ​​in its wisdom – to temper justice with mercy and recognize that these men made mistakes but had no apparent malicious intent.”

“They’ve been very clear that there will be moments of secrecy and expedition and that everyone is on the same side and wants this to be made public,” the Pennsylvania senator said. John Fetterman.

Charles Washington Misick, Prime Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Make a speech” on the current situation at 10 a.m. EST Thursday, his office announced on social media. This will be Misick’s first public comments on the issue.

In a May 20 press release on the Turks and Caicos Islands government website, the government acknowledged the U.S. delegation’s trip and stated: “The Governor and Prime Minister have confirmed – consistent with the constitutional separation of executive and judicial powers – that they cannot intervene or comment on ongoing matters. legal cases in court. They explained that the Turks and Caicos Islands have clear laws prohibiting the possession of firearms and/or ammunition and that strict sanctions are in place to serve and protect all those who reside in and visit the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Grier, who is due in court July 5, is trying to remain optimistic.

“You know, it’s hard, very hard. Because I have grandchildren. I have five grandchildren. I have three children. I have a loving family at home. I have like a community,” she said. “I have a whole life at home. A whole life at home, you know? So it’s a lot.”