PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — A Florida woman is being held in Turks and Caicos after ammunition was found in her luggage, the islands' police department said.
Sharitta Grier, a 45-year-old Orlando woman, was arrested on Monday after a routine luggage search at the Howard Hamilton International Airport in Providenciales. She was charged with one count of possession of ammunition.
Police said Grier appeared in Magistrate Court on Thursday and will return to court for a sufficiency hearing on July 5.
According to the U.S. State Department, the penalty for traveling to Turks and Caicos with a firearm, ammunition or other weapon is a minimum sentence of 12 years.
Grier marks the fifth American in recent months who has been arrested on possession of ammunition charges in Turks and Caicos. The arrests prompted the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas to issue a travel alert warning Americans not to bring firearms or ammunition to the islands.
"We wish to remind all travelers that declaring a weapon in your luggage with an airline carrier does not grant permission to bring the weapon into TCI and will result in your arrest," the embassy said. "If you bring a firearm or ammunition into TCI, we will not be able to secure your release from custody."
Following a big jump in gun violence and weapons trafficking in Turks and Caicos, the government significantly tightened its gun laws in 2022. In a social media post last month, the government said their islands “have clear laws against the possession of firearms and/or ammunition and strict penalties in order to serve and protect the community.”