SINGAPORE: A man was caught trying to smuggle live birds into Singapore last Friday after authorities heard "some unusual noise" coming from his car as he was passing through Woodlands Checkpoint, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Friday (Dec 28).
In a Facebook post, ICA said the 49-year-old Singaporean had been driving a Singapore-registered car when he was stopped for further checks, during which officers detected the sounds coming from underneath the rear passenger seat.
Advertisement "Upon lifting the seat, ICA officers found two boxes containing 40 live birds," the authorities said, adding that the case was handed over to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA). The birds are currently under AVA's care.
"Smuggled animals are of unknown health status and may introduce exotic diseases such as bird flu to Singapore," said ICA.
Anyone found guilty of smuggling any animal or live bird into the country may be fined up to S$10,000 and/or jailed up to a year.
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