SINGAPORE: A 35-year-old man has been fined S$12,000 for possessing illegally imported duck's blood and dried beef slices, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a media release on Wednesday (Nov 14).
Ong Fu Yong was also fined an additional S$600 for abetting the illegal import of salted duck eggs, said the authority.
AdvertisementAll of the items, which were illegally imported from China, were put on sale on Ong's WeChat account.
Ong was arrested on Nov 2 last year after he delivered the items to an AVA officer who had posed as a buyer, said AVA.
A total of 60kg of duck’s blood, 500g of dried beef as well as 36 pieces of salted duck eggs were found in his possession.
Investigations revealed that Ong had been soliciting travellers to smuggle food and meat products from China since 2016.
AdvertisementAdvertisementHe would offer the travellers a transport fee as payment for their extra baggage allowance, said AVA.
Ong would then post the products on his WeChat account for sale.
Animal blood food products are prohibited in Singapore as blood can easily support the growth of bacteria and harbour diseases, AVA said.
"Unhygienic harvesting of blood can also result in the introduction of food borne pathogens into blood food products. Meat, eggs and their products can only be imported from accredited sources in approved countries that comply with our food safety standards and requirements," it added.
Those found guilty of illegally importing food products may be fined up to S$50,000 and jailed for up to two years for their first conviction. Repeat offenders may be fined up to S$100,000 and jailed for up to three years.
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