Man smuggles 5 Pomeranians into Woodlands Checkpoint in plastic container, gets 16 weeks’ jail

Man jailed for attempting to smuggle 5 Pomeranians into Woodlands Checkpoint, kept them in cramped container for hours

A 22-year-old man pleaded guilty on 16 Jan after attempting to smuggle five Pomeranians through Woodlands Checkpoint for sale in Singapore.

Kept in a plastic container, the puppies suffered cramped conditions and were ill when the authorities discovered them.

Man joins couple in illegal importation scheme

According to The Straits Times, 22-year-old Bryan Peh Jia Hao had been asked by a friend named Callurn Lim about smuggling puppies from Malaysia in Oct 2023.

Lim and his wife, Ng Siew Teng, planned to illegally import the dogs for sale in Singapore and promised Peh around S$250 to S$300 per animal.

Shin Min Daily News reported that the couple had previously illegally smuggled three golden retrievers into Singapore. Earning S$5,100, they decided to continue with their “business.”

Peh agreed to join and helped them perform several illegal importations that month using his vehicle.

Woodlands Checkpoint officer finds five Pomeranians

On 27 Dec 2023, Peh received a request from Lim to smuggle five puppies and some duty-unpaid cigarettes for S$1,650.

At 2am, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers stopped him for a random check at Woodlands Checkpoint.

They found five puppies in a plastic container in the boot of his car, including two kept in a pet carrier.

The cramped conditions caused unnecessary suffering for the five Pomeranians, each only around two months old. With movement restricted for at least two hours, they risked injuries as the vehicle moved.

In addition, all five puppies tested positive for canine parvovirus, which causes severe illness in young and unvaccinated dogs.

Lawyer claims defendant is ‘errand boy’ in smuggling scheme

Peh pleaded guilty to four charges surrounding his crime on 16 Jan.

The defence argued that Peh placed towels in the plastic container and brought the back seat down to let air conditioning enter the boot and reduce their suffering.

His lawyer also characterised Peh as an “errand boy” with no share of profits from the couple.

The judge ultimately handed him a jail term of 16 weeks.

Also read: ‘Aluminium foiled attempt’: ICA thwarts smuggling attempt of 200 duty-unpaid cigarettes wrapped in foil

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Featured image adapted from court documents via Shin Min Daily News and The Straits Times.