SINGAPORE: A recent check on a Malaysian-registered tour bus at Woodlands Checkpoint turned up thousands of chewing tobacco packets, as well as 121 live birds, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Wednesday (Feb 28).
In a news release, ICA said the bus was directed for checks on Monday at about 6am, during which officers found three black bundles in red plastic bags that contained 4,500 sachets of chewing tobacco. The bags were found in a luggage compartment at the right side of the bus.
The sachets of chewing tobacco were referred to the Health Sciences Authority for investigation.
Authorities also found 121 live birds concealed in 10 boxes in another compartment of the bus. They comprised red-whiskered bulbuls, white-rumped shamas and spotted doves and Fischer's lovebirds - a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The driver, birds and bus were handed over to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore for investigations, said ICA. The man was charged in court on Wednesday.
ICA said anyone convicted of importing chewing tobacco, which is prohibited in Singapore, is liable to a fine of up to S$10,000, up to six months' jail or both for the first offence. For a second or subsequent offence, the punishment is a maximum fine of S$20,000, up to 12 months' jail or both.
AdvertisementAdvertisementICA also highlighted that CITES permits are required for the import, export and re-export of CITES species, including their parts and products. Offenders can be fined up to S$50,000 per scheduled species, up to an aggregate amount of S$500,000, and/or jailed up to two years.
"In addition, the import of animals and birds without a licence is an offence," ICA said, adding that offenders are liable to a fine of up to S$10,000, a maximum of 12 months' jail or both. Furthermore, anyone who causes unnecessary pain to an animal may suffer a fine of up to S$15,000, a maximum 18 months' jail or both.
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