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Travelling In A Seat...Literally...
What kind of preparations would you make before embarking on a road trip with your young ones? You would stock up some snacks and water in the car or you might even bring along some music CDs or cute soft toys to keep the little ones occupied along the way. Add a comfortable booster seat and you would be ready to go. A litter of young ones were not so lucky as they made the arduous trip to Singapore without food and water, and in a most uncomfortable seat… Yes, they had literally travelled ‘in a seat’ on their journey across the causeway.
2 Shortly after 3pm on 16 May 2011, the Immigration & Checkpoint Authority (ICA) officers at Woodlands Checkpoint stopped a Malaysian-registered car for a routine check. The lone Malaysian man was composed and friendly when asked to step out of the car to allow officers to conduct the check. Without wasting precious minutes, officers proceeded to check the different compartments in the front of the car. All was well until the officers moved to check the rear passenger seat. The officers were immediately alerted and their suspicion aroused when the leather car seat felt exceptionally hard to the touch. True to their instincts, the officers were greeted by 15 listless puppies when they turned over the car seat. The 31-year-old Malay driver was immediately placed under arrest.
Innocuous rear passenger seat 15 live pups
3 Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver was offered this illicit assignment by one Malaysian Chinese, known to him as ‘Fatty’. He had agreed to the deal to smuggle the puppies into Singapore as he needed money for his wedding. He was to be paid a sum of RM800 for the delivery. He is currently under investigation by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA).
4 The ICA and AVA would like to remind travellers against bringing live animals, birds and insects into Singapore without a proper permit. The importation of any animals or live birds without an AVA permit is a violation of the Animals and Birds Act, which carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
5 Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The enhanced security checks are critical to our nation’s security. We have tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands. In view of the potential danger of introducing infectious diseases into Singapore, we would like to advise the public against the smuggling of animals, animal products, meat and meat products into Singapore.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
19 May 2011
2 Shortly after 3pm on 16 May 2011, the Immigration & Checkpoint Authority (ICA) officers at Woodlands Checkpoint stopped a Malaysian-registered car for a routine check. The lone Malaysian man was composed and friendly when asked to step out of the car to allow officers to conduct the check. Without wasting precious minutes, officers proceeded to check the different compartments in the front of the car. All was well until the officers moved to check the rear passenger seat. The officers were immediately alerted and their suspicion aroused when the leather car seat felt exceptionally hard to the touch. True to their instincts, the officers were greeted by 15 listless puppies when they turned over the car seat. The 31-year-old Malay driver was immediately placed under arrest.
Innocuous rear passenger seat 15 live pups
3 Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver was offered this illicit assignment by one Malaysian Chinese, known to him as ‘Fatty’. He had agreed to the deal to smuggle the puppies into Singapore as he needed money for his wedding. He was to be paid a sum of RM800 for the delivery. He is currently under investigation by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA).
4 The ICA and AVA would like to remind travellers against bringing live animals, birds and insects into Singapore without a proper permit. The importation of any animals or live birds without an AVA permit is a violation of the Animals and Birds Act, which carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
5 Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The enhanced security checks are critical to our nation’s security. We have tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands. In view of the potential danger of introducing infectious diseases into Singapore, we would like to advise the public against the smuggling of animals, animal products, meat and meat products into Singapore.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
19 May 2011