The American tourist who spent ten years behind bars in Turks and Caicos after ammunition was found in his luggage when he boarded a cruise ship has finally spoken out.
Tyler Wenrich, 31, was charged on April 23 after the bullets were discovered at a security checkpoint, leading to his arrest by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.
Wenrich – the second American arrested for the crime in recent weeks after Oklahoma father-of-two Ryan Watson was indicted – has found the predicament to be as dire as you’d expect.
‘I can hardly ignore it, and I live in it. You know, it’s hard. It’s hard to believe it’s happening. And it is absolutely a nightmare,” he said.
Wenrich — a Virginia paramedic with a wife and a year-and-a-half-old son — has remained on Grand Turk Island for the past two weeks after two 9mm bullets were found in his bag when he tried to get back on the cruise. after a beach day.
Tyler Wenrich, 31, was charged on April 23 after the bullets were discovered at a security checkpoint, leading to his arrest by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.
Wenrich — a Virginia paramedic with a wife and a year-and-a-half-old son — has remained on Grand Turk Island for the past two weeks after two 9mm bullets were found in his bag when he tried to get back on the cruise. after a beach day
He claims it was simply an honest mistake, one he thought he had prepared himself enough to avoid.
“I have used that bag in the past to go to the shooting range with friends and to carry my firearm,” Wenrich said NBC Boston.
“That’s how it was, you know, I checked before I left, and it was just a complete mistake against me, TSA and port security, you know. Three groups lacked that ammunition,” he added.
He posted bail last week ahead of a court hearing after being handed over to authorities in Turks and Caicos.
Wenrich then spent three nights in jail before being transferred to a prison for another nine nights.
“It was extremely difficult,” he said. “The conditions were tough, but the people were more phenomenal, which helped.”
Royal Caribbean has not commented on the incident.
“It was still a very difficult situation to be in,” Wenrich said. “It’s definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through.”
Wenrich claims it was simply an honest mistake, one he thought he had prepared himself enough to avoid
Wenrich then spent three nights in jail before being transferred to a prison for another nine nights
Wenrich said he, his wife Jeriann, a dental hygienist, and son are struggling to be apart.
‘They’re not doing so well. You know, my son is having trouble sleeping that night… something is wrong,” Wenrich said.
“He’s old enough to know something is wrong and my wife is trying to do her best.”
Wenrich’s father has joined him on the island while he is stuck in the legal system, costing him, in his words, tens of thousands of dollars.
The family is trying to raise $100,000 Gofundme to cover all bills.
His case appears to have been triggered by similar circumstances to Watson’s arrest.
Watson was arrested on April 11 after a dream holiday with friends to celebrate his 40th birthday quickly turned into a nightmare when four loose hunting bullets were found in his carry-on luggage during his departing flight.
This crime used to carry only a small fine, but Turks and Caicos Islands lawmakers increased the penalties in 2022 to impose a minimum sentence of twelve years.
Wenrich said he, his wife Jeriann, a dental hygienist, and son are struggling to be apart
‘They’re not doing so well. You know, my son is having trouble sleeping that night… something is wrong,” Wenrich said
The increase in recent arrests also comes despite an alert U.S. travel officials sent out in 2023 in response to the updated law, warning Americans to double-check their luggage for loose bullets or firearms.
In an interview with the Today Show, Ryan said he “can’t have any expectations about when I can be home for those kids,” describing his ordeal as “the most horrible thing I’ve ever experienced.”
He said getting his children back “is and always will be my ultimate goal.”
Ryan said officials dismissed his pleas that it was a “completely innocent mistake” amid questions about how the bullets slipped past TSA on his departing flight from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma.
Officials said they launched a “review” of the airport’s screeners in response.
“TSA is conducting an investigation at OKC, the original airport,” TSA said in a statement, adding that it is “aware” of the error.
However, several studies in recent years have revealed a shocking decline in the effectiveness of TSA screening, with undercover Homeland Security agents easily slipping prohibited items past screenings.
In 2017, ABC news reported that undercover officers found that security equipment or procedures failed more than half the time, with one source revealing that the failure rate at the ‘margin’ was more than 80 percent.
Ryan Watson (pictured with his wife Valerie and their two young children) faces 12 years in prison in Turks and Caicos after a handful of deer hunting bullets were found in his luggage
An earlier 2006 study also found that fake bombs slipped past TSA screeners 75 percent of the time at Los Angeles International Airport and 60 percent of the time at Chicago O’Hare, reported USA today.
Despite their insistence that the ammunition was accidentally left behind during an earlier hunting trip, Turks and Caicos prosecutors insisted the crime is a serious crime in the country.
a GoFundMe was set up to help the couple with costs, which at the time of writing exceeded $226,000.