For all that Singapore can offer in terms of delicacies, there are still some dishes that could never be replicated completely without the right ingredients.
And because of that, some folks may choose to smuggle ingredients in to get as close to the real deal as possible.
One man probably had that in mind when he attempted to smuggle 226kg of frozen products from China.
Sealed and hidden in eight luggage bags, various frozen types of meat such as chicken, beef, pork, mutton and rabbit were seized.
The court slapped him with a S$17,500 fine on Thursday (29 Sep).
According to a press release by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), Wang Liangsheng, a traveller from China, received a hefty fine for illegally importing various meat products into Singapore.
In Jun this year, Wang’s luggage caught the attention of Immigration & Checkpoints Authority Singapore (ICA) staff.
During their checks, officers detected eight luggage bags containing various types of frozen meat from China.
Weighing in at around 226kg, the products included frozen meat such as chicken, beef, pork, mutton and rabbit meat.
Photos shared by the SFA show huge slabs of meat and even whole chickens in individual plastic packets.
Source: Singapore Food Agency on Facebook
Packets of meatballs make up a portion of the products.
In Singapore, food imports must meet SFA’S strict requirements as products from unknown sources can pose safety risks.
According to SFA, meat products can only be imported from accredited sources in approved countries.
These same countries comply with SFA’s food safety standards and requirements.
Those who breach these rules may face a maximum S$50,000 fine and imprisonment of up to two years.
Additionally, subsequent convictions will lead to even longer imprisonment periods and heftier fines.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Food Agency on Facebook and Elizabeth Masek on Flickr. Image on the right is for illustration purposes only.
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