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Snakes on a Barge!
Before we get the ophidiophobes (persons with a fear of snakes) all jumpy and flustered, we will like to clarify that it was the snake and reptile skins that were found by ICA officers on a barge.
2 On 14 Sep 2006 at about 1600 hrs, ICA officers from the Anti-Smuggling Team at Coastal Command conducted a search on a barge and the accompanying tugboat. Many wooden crates containing empty canisters of fire extinguishers were stacked onboard the barge and were covered by a piece of canvas sheet. During the search, ICA officers found 11 packages of reptile skin hidden in two of the wooden crates. A total of 253 kilograms of reptile skins belonging to the reticulated python, the blood python and monitor lizard were uncovered after a thorough search. One of the crew member, a 24-year-old Indonesian man admitted ownership of the items.
3 The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) was subsequently alerted and the case was handed over to them for further investigation.
4 The reticulated python, the blood python and the monitor lizard are threatened species (ie. Appendix II) protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which Singapore is a party. Under the Singapore’s Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act (ESA), the export and import of the reptile skins must be accompanied by CITES permits from the exporting and importing countries. Under the ESA, it is an offence for any person to import and export CITES-protected species without a permit from AVA. Upon conviction, the offence can carry a penalty of a fine of up to $500,000 and/or a jail term of up to 2 years. The illegal specimens would also be forfeited and handed over to AVA.
5 In line with the stepped-up security checks carried out at all checkpoints, ICA will continue to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband such as illegal wildlife. ICA would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.
2 On 14 Sep 2006 at about 1600 hrs, ICA officers from the Anti-Smuggling Team at Coastal Command conducted a search on a barge and the accompanying tugboat. Many wooden crates containing empty canisters of fire extinguishers were stacked onboard the barge and were covered by a piece of canvas sheet. During the search, ICA officers found 11 packages of reptile skin hidden in two of the wooden crates. A total of 253 kilograms of reptile skins belonging to the reticulated python, the blood python and monitor lizard were uncovered after a thorough search. One of the crew member, a 24-year-old Indonesian man admitted ownership of the items.
3 The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) was subsequently alerted and the case was handed over to them for further investigation.
4 The reticulated python, the blood python and the monitor lizard are threatened species (ie. Appendix II) protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which Singapore is a party. Under the Singapore’s Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act (ESA), the export and import of the reptile skins must be accompanied by CITES permits from the exporting and importing countries. Under the ESA, it is an offence for any person to import and export CITES-protected species without a permit from AVA. Upon conviction, the offence can carry a penalty of a fine of up to $500,000 and/or a jail term of up to 2 years. The illegal specimens would also be forfeited and handed over to AVA.
5 In line with the stepped-up security checks carried out at all checkpoints, ICA will continue to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband such as illegal wildlife. ICA would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.