Man sentenced to six months in jail for smuggling puppies into Singapore

A man had stuffed three puppies—a Chow Chow, Siberian Husky and Miniature Schnauzer—into a speaker box located in his car boot in an attempt to smuggle them into Singapore. Read on to find out more.
Claudia Chia 26 August 2016

A 34-year-old man was sentenced to six months’ jail on Wednesday, 24 August, for illegally smuggling three puppies into Singapore.

According to a joint news release from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the man, Loh Chee Chiang, was stopped by ICA officers for checks when he reached Woodlands Checkpoint on 22 April, 2016. During the checks, the officers discovered three live puppies that were hidden inside a modified speaker box in the car boot.

Loh, his car and the puppies were then referred to AVA for further investigations. 

The news release noted that he puppies had been quarantined for 100 days at AVA's Sembawang Animal Quarantine Station, while investigations were being carried out. The quarantine has since been completed, and the relevant authorities have worked with SPCA to successfully rehome the puppies. 

The authorities warned that smuggling animals of unknown health statuses into Singapore may introduce diseases, such as rabies, into the country. 

"The importation of any animals or live birds without an AVA permit is illegal and carries a maximum penalty of S$10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year," the release said.