The story of Americans detained on ammunition charges in the Turks and Caicos Islands is straightforward, according to trial attorney Ted Simon.
“Just as you must pack your passport, it’s really essential to carefully consider what you’re packing,” Simon told Truth Voices’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
“Search your suitcase and your person thoroughly before you leave and also when you return,” he added.
One of the Americans, Bryan Hagerich from southwestern Pennsylvania, was released on Friday and allowed to fly home. He paid a $6,700 fine and received a one-year suspended sentence for having 20 rounds of ammunition in his bag when he arrived in the Turks and Caicos late last month.
Four other Americans remain detained on similar charges.
“I’m hopeful that TCI expedites the rest of these cases and that the other detained Americans will soon be released and reunited with their families as well,” Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman stated.
This month, the governors of Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia contacted the islands’ governor on behalf of three of the detained men from their states. They argued that the men had inadvertently carried ammunition on their vacation and were not in possession of firearms.
Simon emphasized the significance of understanding the word “foreign” for those planning overseas vacations or work trips.
“Most Americans don’t realize that, when they travel abroad, the U.S. Constitution does not travel with them,” said Simon.
“If you’re going to a country where it’s uncertain whether you can drink the water, you should educate yourself about the customs and laws of those places.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
