ANOTHER American, 31, is arrested on Turks and Caicos after security found ammo ... trends now
Another American tourist is facing a decade behind bars in Turks and Caicos after ammunition was found in his luggage as he departed a cruise ship.
Tyler Wenrich, 31, was charged on April 23 after the bullets were discovered by a security checkpoint, leading to his arrest by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.
It is unclear if Wenrich, who appears to have recently become a father, contested his arrest, and he and his wife did not immediately respond to attempts to contact them.
His arrest comes just weeks after Oklahoma father-of-two Ryan Watson was charged with the same offense, as a handful of deer hunting bullets were found in his carry-on after American TSA missed them on his departing flight.
The Virginia man is a paramedic, according to his social medias, and his wife is a dental hygienist. The couple appear to have recently welcomed a child together
Tyler Wenrich, 31, (pictured with his wife Jeriann) is facing a decade behind bars in Turks and Caicos after bullets were found in his luggage as he departed a cruise
Wenrich (seen in his mugshot) was charged with ammunition possession
Wenrich's arrest came as he departed a cruise ship, with port activity tracker CruiseDig noting that there was just one cruise ship, the Carnival Sunshine, that entered Turks and Caicos' only cruise port on the day Wenrich was arrested.
Carnival Cruises did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.
He appeared before a Grand Turk Magistrate on Thursday and was taken into custody at the island's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and has a June 7 scheduled court date, reports Caribbean Loop News.
It is unclear if he has been bailed out of custody.
According to his Facebook profile, Wenrich is a paramedic and emergency medical technician, and lives in Virginia with his wife Jeriann, a dental hygienist.
Wenrich's wife Jeriann with their child
The couple appear to have recently welcomed a child together.
Although local reports do not specify if Wenrich claimed he did not know the bullets - which were not accompanied by a firearm - were in his luggage, his case appears to have been triggered by similar circumstances to Watson's arrest.
Watson was arrested on April 11 after a dream 40th birthday vacation with friends quickly turned into a nightmare as four loose hunting bullets were found on his carry-on luggage on his departing flight.
The crime used to only carry a small fine, however Turks and Caicos lawmakers escalated the penalties in 2022 to mandate a 12-year minimum sentence.
The surge in recent arrests also comes despite a warning sent out by US travel officials in 2023 in response to the updated law, alerting Americans to double check their luggage for loose bullets or firearms.
After he was bailed out of jail, Watson had his passport seized by officials, and was trapped on the island alongside his wife Valerie - who faced the same charges until they were dropped Monday.
Heartwarming footage captured the moment Valerie was reunited with their two young children in Oklahoma after weeks apart, but the family are still left in the dark about Ryan's fate.
On the day of Wenrich's arrest, only the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship (pictured) entered Turks and Caicos' cruise port
After weeks stuck on the Caribbean islands, cameras captured the moment Valerie was reunited with the couple's two young children in Oklahoma
Ryan Watson (pictured with his wife Valerie and their two young children) is facing 12 years in prison in Turks and Caicos after a handful of deer hunting bullets were found in his luggage
In an interview before their first court hearing, Valerie said the possibility of facing 12 years in prison left her 'terrified' because they have two young children
In an interview with the Today Show, Ryan said he 'can't set any kind of expectations on when I can be home to those kids', as he described his ordeal
