The Turks and Caicos Islands Government cannot comment on ongoing legal cases before the courts but confirms the following four (4) US nationals have been charged for possession of ammunition offences against the Firearms Ordinance (as amended).

• MICHAEL LEE EVANS, 72, of Texas, pled guilty to possession of seven (7) 9mm rounds of ammunition. Appeared before the court on Wednesday, 24th April 2024, via video conference link. Currently on bail, with sentencing hearing adjourned to June 18th, 2024.

• BRYAN HAGERICH, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to possession of twenty rounds of ammunition  (rifle rounds). Currently on bail. Scheduled to reappear in court on May 3rd, 2024.

• TYLER SCOTT WENRICH, 31, of Virginia, is currently remanded at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Grand Turk). He is charged with possession of two (2) 9mm rounds. He has not applied for bail.

• RYAN TYLER WATSON, 40, of Oklahoma, currently on bail, charged with possession of four (4) rounds of ammunition. Appeared in court on April 24th, 2024. The matter was adjourned to June 7th, 2024

 Persons in the Turks and Caicos Islands do not have a constitutional right to carry firearms. The Turks and Caicos Islands welcomes all visitors but reminds travellers that the importation of firearms, ammunition (including stray bullets), and other weapons is strictly forbidden unless licence to do so has been issued by the Commissioner of Police.

 The Turks and Caicos Islands have clear laws against the possession of firearms and or ammunition and strict penalties in order to serve and protect the community. Firearm and or ammunition offences carry a mandatory minimum custodial sentence of twelve years plus a fine. An Attorney General’s Reference to the Court of Appeal certified that where a court finds there are exceptional circumstances, the sentencing judge has discretion to impose a custodial sentence (less than the twelve years) and a fine that are fair and just in the circumstances of each case. The Turks and Caicos Islands is a British Overseas Territory with a common law legal system.

 Travellers are strongly advised to search their luggage before they travel to the Turks and Caicos Islands to ensure they do not bring in forbidden items inadvertently. The Turks and Caicos Islands reserves the right to enforce its legislation and all visitors must follow its law enforcement procedures.

 The Transportation Security Administration screening in the United States may not identify ammunition in a traveller’s baggage; it is the traveller’s responsibility to ensure their baggage is free of ammunition and/or firearms. Permission from an airline carrier does not constitute permission to bring firearms or ammunition into the Turks and Caicos Islands and will result in arrest.

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

The Turks and Caicos courts will soon have the task of trying a convicted sex officer, this time accused of raping a woman repeatedly after posing as a jitney driver; again raising the issue of the need for safe transport locally. 

Elvethan Handfield was refused bail when he appeared in the Magistrates Court on April 29. He had spent at least 13 years in prison on a rape conviction and is now accused of picking his latest victim under the guise of being a jitney or unlicensed taxi driver. 

The defendant claims she got into the vehicle instructing him to take her to Dock Yard on April 19. Instead, Handfield is accused of driving her to a home, forcing her inside at knifepoint where he proceeded to rape her and record his actions over the course of two days (April 19 – 20). 

Jitneys abound in the Turks and Caicos, they’re unmarked, unlicensed, and driven by often unknown individuals with no legal authority to be ferrying passengers. With no formal process of vetting, all a potential predator would need is a car to appear as one of these drivers, and he could strike. 

Since the beginning of the year at least three women have reported attacks from men posing as jitney drivers, leading to a safety bulletin being issued by police in February.

Despite this, the business of jitney driving is still operational, thriving even, because they fill a gap for the community, left open by the lack of secure, dependable, government-sanctioned transport. 

When we spoke to Wilbur Caley, Head of the Department of Motor Vehicles, to find out how many Community Cabs were licensed to operate currently, he told us this. 

“From recollection, there are about seven licensed.” 

It’s a disappointingly low number and tracks with what Wilkie  Arthur, Magnetic Media Court Correspondent, observes on the streets daily “I don’t think they’re readily accessible,” Arthur said of the community cabs.  “I would comfortably say 98 percent of the population is using illegal jitneys.”

The ‘community cabs’ were a government-sanctioned solution to jitneys and TCIG had hoped residents would take the opportunity to join the fleet of white and blue sedans, touted to provide safe, clean, and accessible travel. But it hasn’t worked that way. The number of registered community cabs still is far lower than the number of jitneys. 

“The uptake for these types of licenses is very, very low. A number of individuals have expressed interest however they are reluctant because they say they don’t want or can’t compete with the illegal jitneys,” Caley explained. 

Technically, as the DMV head pointed out, jitneys are illegal but the gray area of necessity vs law has created a space for them and in that murk, predators are hiding. 

In the past several years both adults and school children have suffered at the hands of vulturine men using their position as drivers to assault.  

Even tourists who usually get ferried by designated taxis have reported abuse at the hands of jitneys angering legitimate taxi drivers who say they’re shouldering the blame for the actions of a wholly separate group. 

It’s now up to the government to breathe new life into the Community Cab initiative and populate the country’s roads with clean, safe, traceable vehicles rather than leave travelers at risk. 

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer 

Record-breaking numbers are expected for TCI tourism this summer, specifically from air arrivals with 80,000 travelers per month booked. 

“June and July, in particular, are poised to become record-breaking months, with forecasted arrivals nearing the 80,000 mark for each,” said Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism during a ministerial speech on April 17. 

“Since January 2024, we have consistently welcomed over 65,000 visitors each month, with March peaking at over 71,000 arrivals,” she explained further. 

It’s excellent news for the thousands of locals who depend on the tourism industry to support their livelihoods, from jet ski operators to chefs; and is also excellent news for the economy which balances on tourism. The positive economic impact that increased visitors will have on the locals who work in the industry cannot be overstated. 

Conversely, the potential of record arrivals could put a heavy strain on the main port of entry, the Providenciales/Howard Hamilton International Airport, which for many is a place of distress. 

Long lines, no a/c, poor facilities, and a bunch of flights coming in at once create nightmarish conditions for travelers on weekends when the airport is busiest. It’s so bad that travellers continue to vow that they will never return despite the beauty and warmth of the country. 

In March, hundreds of visitors were stuck at the airport overnight when travellers hit a record 60,000 passengers. It raises valid concerns about how the Providenciales International Airport is going to manage the whopping 80,000 monthly passengers booked for TCI travel this summer. 

The answer to that didn’t come from Connolly as she steered clear of addressing any airport issues. Instead, it was hinted at by Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration and Border Services, who oversees the ports. 

“The TCAA has initiated a congestion alleviation plan, which encompasses renovations aimed at enhancing various critical aspects of the airport. We hear the cries and concerns of the people and immediately shift gears to respond,” he said, but omitted any details on the plan and how it would work to achieve its goal. 

There have been congestion alleviation plans initiated before, with success, but even those changes are failing to keep pace with the rapidly escalating popularity of the destination.  The long term solution, which is the complete redevelopment of the airport, is behind schedule, with the Invitation to Tender (ITT) not yet listed. It’s set to be done in the coming months. 

With this work ongoing the country is awaiting the results of the capacity-carrying study that will lay out how many visitors the country can entertain sustainably. 

“Our Tourism industry must be sustained as exceeding the destination’s carry capacity will result in a decline in quality of life for both residents and visitors, emphasizing the need for this study,” Connolly said. 

The country expects to take in $112 million from accommodation taxes  this year alone.