M'sian detained, 11 puppies hidden in car seized
SINGAPORE: Eleven puppies were found hidden in a modified fuel tank of a Malaysia-registered car at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Thursday.
The 43-year-old Malaysian driver of the vehicle was detained by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and handed over to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) to facilitate investigations.
The incident occurred about 9pm.
In a joint news release yesterday, the ICA and AVA said investigations were underway to determine why there was an attempt to smuggle the puppies into the republic.
According to the authorities, animals smuggled into Singapore are of unknown health status and may introduce exotic diseases such as rabies, into the republic.
The importation of any animal or live bird without an AVA permit is illegal and carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 and/ or imprisonment of up to a year, said ICA and AVA.
The ICA and AVA have reminded travellers against bringing live animals, birds and insects into Singapore without a proper permit. - Bernama