A man who smuggled a Pomeranian puppy from Malaysia as a Christmas gift for his fiancée was caught at a checkpoint and found to be keeping rare tortoises and other animals in Singapore without a licence. He was fined $14,000 but, unable to pay, opted to serve 14 days in jail instead.
Huang Jianxiang, 40, faced two charges under the Animals and Birds Act, three under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act and one under the Wildlife Act. He pleaded guilty to three charges, with the remaining charges taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that Huang drove into Singapore through Tuas Checkpoint at about 2am on 23 September 2022. His fiancée and co-accused, Chen Jiaxin, was also in the car. During a routine inspection, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers found a brown Pomeranian puppy deliberately concealed in a compartment beneath the boot floor.
Investigations revealed that the couple had made a special trip to Malaysia to buy the puppy for RM3,800 (about S$1,195). It was intended as an early Christmas gift for Chen, and they planned to raise it together. Without a valid import permit, Huang hid the puppy in the compartment beneath the boot floor in an attempt to evade checkpoint officers.
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers seized the puppy at the scene. It was subsequently microchipped by the National Parks Board, and arrangements have since been made for it to be adopted by someone else.
National Parks Board officers also conducted a surprise inspection of Huang's home the following day. They found that he was illegally keeping a red-eyed crocodile skink, two chameleons, two Hermann's tortoises and two red-footed tortoises. Huang admitted buying the animals through various channels in Malaysia and smuggling them into Singapore. (Names transliterated)
