American Tyler Wenrich sentenced to prison and fined $9,000 after arrest for illegal ammunition in Turks and Caicos

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American Tyler Wenrich was sentenced Tuesday to three weeks in prison and a fine after pleading guilty earlier this month to possession of ammunition during a trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Virginia resident was fined $9,000, Kimo Tynes, communications director for the Turks and Caicos Islands government, said in a news release. As he had already served three weeks in prison, the court recognized this as time served and his prison sentence is therefore over, the statement said.

The 31-year-old American faces up to 12 years in prison. But the hon. Justice Davidson Baptiste cited exceptional circumstances in Wenrich's case and said: “The application of the mandatory minimum sentence would have been arbitrary and disproportionate and would not serve the public interest.” »

Another American accused of possessing ammunition, Ryan Tyler Watson, pleaded guilty Tuesday, according to Tynes. Watson's sentencing is scheduled for June 21.

In recent months, all have been arrested and charged with importing various quantities of munitions into the 40-island chain in the southeast of the Bahamas.

Bringing firearms or ammunition into the Turks and Caicos Islands without prior police authorization is “strictly prohibited,” according to a government statement.

In the Turks and Caicos Islands, possession of firearms or ammunition carries a minimum sentence of 12 years, although the law allows reduced sentences in “exceptional circumstances.”

Even though the territory does not manufacture firearms or ammunition, the number of firearms arriving in the islands has increased, Misick said. In the meantime, the United States has more weapons than people.

On Friday, American Bryan Hagerich, originally from Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 52 weeks in prison, suspended for one year, and fined $6,700, his representatives said. He returned to the United States after paying the fine.

Besides Hagerich and Wenrich, another American – Michael Lee Evans – pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition while traveling in the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to the territory's government.

Evans was allowed to return to the United States due to a “serious” medical situation, but he will have to return to the Turks and Caicos Islands for his next hearing, attorney Oliver Smith told CNN. The rest stays in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

A fifth American woman, Sharitta Shinese Grier, was arrested last week and is awaiting trial after being released on bail, according to Tynes​​​​, with the Office of the Prime Minister and Public Policy.

The mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years for possession of firearms or ammunition is in place to protect people on the islands, and judges can use their discretion to impose reduced sentences, the governor said. Turks and Caicos Islands, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam.

U.S. citizens are not targeted, Turks and Caicos officials said. Of the 195 people convicted of gun offenses in the past six years, only seven were U.S. citizens, Misick said Thursday. No American citizen has been sentenced to 12 years in prison to date.

CNN's Michael Rios, Holly Yan and AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report.