Jun 8, 2011
Couple fined $70k each for illegal import of 7 puppies
By Elena Chong
A couple who imported seven puppies from Malaysia without a licence were each fined $70,000 on Wednesday. -- PHOTO: AVA
A COUPLE who imported seven puppies from Malaysia without a licence were each fined $70,000 on Wednesday.
Ang Soon Peng, 44, and his wife, Soh Wan Ping, 42, were given the maximum fine of $10,000 on each of the seven charges they pleaded guilty to.
A court heard that Ang was driving his brother's car into Woodlands Checkpoint on March 9 when an auxiliary police officer found the seven puppies hidden under some newspapers on the floorboard in front.
The couple had paid a total of RM5,900 (S$2,407) for the puppies from a Malaysian known as Andy in Johor Baru.
Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan pressed for a deterrent sentence.
He said the primary objective of the Animals and Birds (Quarantine) Rules was to prevent rabies from being introduced into Singapore, which has been rabies-free since 1953.
The AVA, he added, faced an uphill task of combating illegal import. It has received feedback from the public that puppies from Malaysia had been smuggled into the country.
He pointed out that the couple imported a puppy from Malaysia in 2008 but the offence was compounded on compassionate ground.
