Bryan Hagerich with his family. Bryan Hagerich Family Photo

The months-long saga for at least one American trapped on the island of Turks and Caicos (TCI) after airport security there discovered loose rounds of ammunition in his travel bag seems to be finally coming to end. A TCI judge today issued a suspended 52-month sentence to Bryan Hagerich, a Pennsylvania father of two and former professional baseball player, for possessing the ammunition. Hagerich, who pleaded guilty, was also fined $6,500. According to Fox News, he is expected to be released soon.

Hagerich is one of five Americans arrested in TCI since February for having stray ammunition in their luggage, a crime that can result in up to 12 years in prison under TCI law. The other Americans facing similar charges include Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Sharitta Grier of Florida, Tyler Wenrich of Virginia, and Michael Lee Evans of Texas. Hagerich had stray rounds in his bag from a previous hunting trip that he wasn’t aware was even in the bag. Nor was it detected by TSA when he flew out of the United States.

“From the day that I was arrested, the end goal was to get off the island and go home to my family. To think that day is potentially tomorrow, it’s every emotion under the sun,” Hagerich told Fox News Digital. He acknowledged the strong defense presented by his attorneys and expressed gratitude for the prayers and support from friends and strangers worldwide.

During their time awaiting their trails on TCI, Hagerich, Watson and Grier have been supporting each other, forming a close bond as they await their fates and several of them even living together in the same condo.

Several U.S. politicians have responded to the judge’s decision. Democratic Senator Bob Casey from Pennsylvania called the suspended sentence “great news,” praising the leniency shown by TCI authorities. Republican Congressman Guy Reschenthaler also welcomed Hagerich’s imminent release but properly criticized the situation that led to the arrests. He emphasized the need for TCI to ensure the safety of U.S. tourists and indicated he would push for measures to protect Americans.

Reschenthaler suggested drastic actions if TCI does not amend its laws or at least its treatment of Americans, including urging the State Department to issue a no-travel order to the islands, which could severely impact their tourism-dependent economy. He pointed out that 86% of TCI’s tourists are Americans and highlighted the potential economic consequences of such an order.

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania also expressed relief at the judge’s decision, noting the critical role of the U.S. State Department in advocating for Hagerich. Fetterman voiced hope that the other detained Americans would soon be released and reunited with their families.

The arrests of these Americans, all involving stray ammunition from previous trips, have highlighted the strict enforcement of TCI’s firearms and ammunition laws, as well as the concern Americans should have visiting the country.

Reschenthaler’s proposal includes implementing tariffs on U.S. imports to TCI and issuing no-travel orders from states that frequently send tourists to the islands, such as Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He criticized the law as “draconian” and called for immediate changes to prevent similar situations in the future. The country, which depends on U.S. tourists to keep their economy afloat, would feel the pain should such measures be implemented.

A bipartisan congressional delegation visited TCI to discuss the detentions and advocate for the Americans’ release. However, TCI officials have emphasized the need to uphold their legal processes and maintain strict penalties for firearm and ammunition possession to ensure the safety of residents and visitors alike.

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65 COMMENTS

  1. Geez TCI, it’s not like gangbangers from Chicago are the ones bringing in ammunition to your island. Have an ounce of common sense.

    • “Have an ounce of common sense.”

      I seriously doubt its an issue of ‘common sense’, far more likely to me, they were trying to teach the arrogant Americans ‘a lesson’ they wouldn’t forget that it was their way or the highway in their country, and they weren’t gonna let America push them around.

      Nice to see the US Ambassador read them the riot act that actions can have very real consequences to the economy of their nation if push came to shove.

      I’m actually a bit surprised the US pushed back so hard, as anti-2A as this administration is on freedom and gun rights in general…

        • “Jailing people costs money. “Fining” them is free $$$.”

          Exactly, pop them with a $5,000 fine, they damn sure won’t do that again…

    • Good thing they guy didn’t go on vacation in New York, New Jersey, Washington DC California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, or Vermont; he could be headed to prison for 12 years.

  2. Tariffs? Geez just don’t go to T&C. And have your act together vacationers!🙄

      • Right?

        “This country has draconian laws, so I want to show them why that’s wrong by passing draconian laws on my own fellow citizens restricting their right to travel because… then the draconian laws will cancel each other out?”

        What a scumbag, good thing he’s just some irrelevant nobody whose name means so little I’ve already forgotten it

  3. They take 4 of ours we take 40 of theirs…nonetheless Americans should have better sense than to travel to any Gun Control rat nest.

  4. Republican Congressman Guy Reschenthalers’ threatening of an British Overseas Territory is a little strange,in that he may actually have power to fulfill it.

      • “And be retarded enough to try.”

        Huh?

        We can economically hurt them far more than they can ever hope to hurt us, or do you know something in particular I don’t on this?

        Like, they could retaliate by allowing China to build a military naval base on their soil?

        • I know that the T&C’s are a possession of the British, who are one of our closest allies and won’t take kindly to us doing such a thing because it’s basically a direct rebuke to London…

          I mean, unless you think pissing in their face is a great idea because reasons, yeah, there could be some blowback you’re not considering.

          Probably minor, like they start imposing special rules on the USVIs vis a vis UK citizens visiting those islands, maybe make US cruise ships dance through hoops we won’t like etc. I don’t think they’d go Falklands over it, but then given how crazy their government has been in the last four years and with snap elections coming up, who knows? (Last line being mostly sarcasm.)

          But generally, if I’m going to stomp on some toes I like to know who’s foot they’re attached to before I start stomping.

            • Bread them and drop them in a deep fryer and you have popcorn people, perfect for Haiti.

          • “I know that the T&C’s are a possession of the British, who are one of our closest allies and won’t take kindly to us doing such a thing because it’s basically a direct rebuke to London…”

            Then how did this mess get to the point where we are today, then?

            • Because some guy broke the law of a foreign country. That’s why.

              IRL, the reason they probably let him go with a fine and a suspended sentence is because London did the US a favor to try to smooth this over. T&Cs can’t just let him go because saving face is a thing, but they could have given him 12 years and they didn’t even come close to that. Which, by the by, is a bit stiffer than the UK’s own rules where unlicensed ammo can get you 5-7 years.

              The fact that they didn’t even give him a year or two is rather telling.

              The Dutch don’t have much problem with that in the DWIs because their laws are kind of a joke, honestly, but Paris has certainly interceded with their overseas Department of Guadeloupe (and their COMs) on behalf of US citizens caught up in French legal problems in the FWIs. I even know people this has happened to. The prison barges Guadeloupe uses are decidedly unfriendly.

              All these overseas territories of Euro countries have basically the same legal code as the Euro country that owns them. It’s not something you want to run afoul of, and not just because it’s often Napoleonic. Weapons offenses are considered damned serious in a lot of Euro countries. Their overseas possessions are no different. Particularly those that have had extensive contact with Haitians but that’s another topic.

              Making mistakes like this is how you end up like a friend of my family. He got swept up by the Gendarmes in Martinique, sent to Paris and spent three years in a French prison before they decided they had the wrong dude, but there was that paperwork issue so he got a year for that. Four years before let him go. He came out speaking French and Arabic.

              Because he sold a car the wrong way and the guy who bought it wasn’t exactly a good person in the eyes of the French constabulary.

              If you’re going to travel, it’s wise to be careful. In Asia this guy would have faired worse. In parts of Africa he wouldn’t have survived this long.

              • Are you just being an A-hole to get attention or are you really this stupid?

              • “…or are you really this stupid?”

                Strych is *far* from being stupid, son, if you bothered to actually listen to what he says.

                He also doesn’t suffer fools lightly…

              • “Are you just being an A-hole to get attention or are you really this stupid?”

                Straight to ad hominem in the form of a question. Oh, how shocking. I think I feel the vapors coming on, where’s my fainting couch?

                But, by all means yes, let’s start an escalating international incident with the UK because some guy got a slap on the wrist for breaking laws while travelling. Let us ignore the fact that T&C actually gave the US deference in this case and just go nuts because some Congressman doesn’t understand there’s a world outside the US and, apparently, neither do a subset of gun owners. mUh 2a iZ wOrLdWiDE!

                Wipe the drool from your chin, if you can and realize that you’re a perfect example of why this country is going down the drain. The “adults” in this country are actually a bunch of children with poor emotional regulation and a lack of critical thinking skills. As such they’re incapable of defining a principle, never mind holding one.

                Oh, also, I didn’t really answer your question. Allow me to do so, in a manner of speaking:

                You need to lose the weight so you can live long enough to watch your kids self-delete after they “transition”, realize their mistake and spiral into uncontrollable depression.

                Can we be friends now?

              • “He also doesn’t suffer fools lightly…”

                The moderation may constrain the reply on this one. I doubt they let it through.

                But, know this, I did answer his/her/ze/zir/zem/iputmyjunkingatoasterbecauseimlonely’s question.

  5. I’ve traveled internationally numerous times and one of the first things I do is educate myself on the laws of that country and then make Damn sure I follow them. People believing they should have the same Rights in a foreign country they enjoy in the United States has gotten many a fool locked up. Deservedly so. it’s no different than traveling in the United States and having to adhere to the laws of the states you travel to or through. Stupid is as Stupid does.

  6. My concern is, it’s my concern, that with tourism up, Tirks and Coco are islands, small islands, 12 miles long and 7 miles at the widest, am I correct? small islands, and those tourists are carrying bullets, bullets are made out of lead, lead is heavy, it’s my concern, and this is germaine, it will, with tourism up, small islands, and, and,those tourist carry bullets, bullets made of lead, lead is heavy, it’s my concern that with, with, enough bullet carrying tourist the islands will, will, capsize.

  7. I have no sympathy for americans who travel to another country, and then beak their laws.
    I got many briefs on the countries I was sent to. While in the US Army.

    Stop being the “ugly american.”

    • Any gun owner should be (unfortunately) used to double checking state laws any time they leave their region. Leaving the country should be a bigger deal.

    • You might read that book before you misuse the term. The “Ugly American” was the good guy. I’ve been to TCI. No more.

  8. It always pays to be aware when you travel. Jamaica had “Gun Court” not too many years ago — and may still have it. Possession of one round got you one year — or was it ten — in a very gritty turd world prison. Entering Maylasia today, with a loose joint in your duffel, might literally cost you your head. Travel to many modern European nation states and criticize Grimm’s Fairy Tales… you might find yourself facing five years in prison.

    The world at large is neither safe nor free. Let’s act today to preserve and retake our American Republic, that freedom, liberty, and the very concept of Rights does not perish from this earth!

  10. On the one hand, the rules are a bit ridiculous given that he didn’t possess a firearm to utilize the ammunition in question.

    OTOH, you’re going overseas to a place where the British legal system prevails (you’re not going to bribe your way out of this like in the DWIs) and which has it’s own set of rules.

    To some degree it’s incumbent on you to do your due diligence and not break the law, or, not go. If you fail to do the former and still decide to take the trip, well, you pays your money and takes your chances.

    The fact that TSA failed to detect this ammo in his luggage is yet another piece of evidence that our government needs to be scaled back enormously.

  11. I like the idea of a tax of $1000 on each ticket to travel there, the funds should be placed in an account to pay for lawyers for any US Citizen who needs legal help from running into this kind of issue. If they become the most expensive destination in the area, then most folks will go elsewhere and they can eat their lawbooks and the junk they use to sell to tourists.

    • Might as well get to pissing off our closest ally.

      We’re doing a bangup job with a lot of the rest of the world, why not add the UK to the list?

        • The average UK citizen cares about that as much as the average US citizen. Not much.

          Neither government GAF because it’s not a constant major media story and therefore a constant embarrassment.

          Both governments have far more pressing concerns, in general. The effects of unchecked migration, a serious fiscal cliff they’re in the process of going over and covering up the aftereffects of that safe and effective intervention they pushed so hard (or tried to mandate in our case).

          If you listen real hard on a quiet night you can hear some old French music off in the distance. Real old. Like, 1789 old.

          • “If you listen real hard on a quiet night you can hear some old French music off in the distance. Real old. Like, 1789 old.”

            While true, look where that inevitably led, the exact same place Chairman Mao’s ‘Red Guard’ and France’s guillotine droppers went, the blade or the firing squad.

            I’m seeing those parallels today, it wouldn’t bother me one tiny bit if a bunch of hard Leftists met a similar fate.

            (I *really* hope the video cameras are rolling when that inevitably happens… 😉 )

            • The problem is all the other people who pay the price for what those morons do.

              Realistically, most Americans won’t survive such a thing. Most. Like, more than half will die.

              Old people will be the first wiped out.

              Weird how that dovetails with 15 years of propaganda setting everyone against the Boomers and the Boomers against everyone else, eh?

  12. Once repatriated this American citizen will be raided by an ATF hit squad at zero-dark-thirty after they cut the power to his home and employ cell phone jammers, with a no-knock raid in which they do not announce who they are to take his guns because ‘he is now a convicted felon’.

    • The guy wasn’t ‘storing’ ammo. He had accidentally left some ammo in a bag. You never accidentally left something behind or somewhere else? There was no ‘intent’ on his part to violent any ‘law’, the ‘fine’/sentence is an unjustified ‘scorched earth’ application.

      • That fellow DID carelessly store his ammo….he deserved the fine. I’d bet he’s a lot more careful in the future.
        I am always careful with all things related to my firearms. I don’t drink or dope either, those cause carelessness.

          • Accidents are what happens when you’re careless. Just make sure you know what’s in your luggage when you’re traveling. It’s not that difficult.

            • “carelessly/carelessness/careless” requires intention ‘of action’ to not be careful or to be neglectful (e.g. intent of action to be without care or attention).

              ‘Accident/accidentally’ is an unforeseen event that is not the result of intention or has no apparent cause.

    • People are not perfect. Seems the authorities made and continue to make a big fuss over nothing. The most they should have done was to seize the ammo and send him on his way.

  19. “However, TCI officials have emphasized the need to uphold their legal processes and maintain strict penalties for firearm and ammunition possession to ensure the safety of residents and visitors alike.”

    Translation:
    ‘TCI maintains strict penalties for firearm and ammunition possession to ensure the control of residents.’

  20. The family photo inspires me to quote Gene Wilder from Young Doctor Frankenstein. “NICE KNOCKERS!”

  21. The US state department should ban all tourism to the Turks and Caicos like they do for Cuba. Anyone who tries going there will have their passports revoked.

    I think a mandatory minimum for this punishment must be 10 years for a first offence which is only fair considering the TCI’s mandatory minimum. 10 years after ALL US prisoners are released there will be an inquest and if they have changed their ways they can be put on double-secrer probation where if there are no further offenses for 50 years they can go off probation. If there are any other issues like this over this time then the US tourism $ faucet is permanently turned off forever.

    Yeah, that seems fair.

    These bananas deplublics need to be treated exactly like the third w thugs they are. Cut them off if they don’t immediately let these US citizens go. We don’t leave anyone behind…

  22. Something else may be behind this sudden crackdown. T&C may be a Big place for “money operations” like The Caymans and others. Biden is leading a world-wide crackdown on such places (Ireland included, see The Celtic Tiger) so this might be retaliation. I haven’t heard T&C has a gang problem like Chicago Baltimore Philly or other such places.

  23. The moon is the United States of America’s they put a flag on it first.
    It should therefore be part of the state of Wisconsin

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