Two bird smugglers land in jail

Straits Times 10 Jun 10;

TWO Malaysians have been caught and jailed for a month each for trying to smuggle in more than 1,000 birds by hiding them among boxes of grasshoppers and crickets being brought in legally.

The chirps of the birds gave the game away. Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers were checking the consignment of 5,000 grasshoppers and 5,000 crickets at Woodlands Checkpoint on Tuesday morning when they found six crates of live birds hidden below the crickets.

The haul of 140 mata puteh and 1,000 munia constituted the largest haul of birds at the checkpoints since 2006, said the ICA and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority yesterday.

ICA officers arrested Lee Sung, 44, whose cargo clearance permit covered only the import of the insects. His motorcycle, on which the crates were loaded, was seized.

When his accomplice Ho Kwee Ping, 56, showed up a while later on his motorcycle, he too was arrested. His link to Lee was suspected when documentation for a previous consignment of grasshoppers and crickets named the same importer and exporter as the one on Lee's import papers. Another document to bring in six more such consignments by Northern Aquarium was found with Ho.

Investigations showed that Lee and Ho were to be paid $250 and $150 respectively by a Malaysian called Ah Meng for delivering the birds to someone in Ang Mo Kio that morning.

The pair pleaded guilty to importing the birds without a licence. They could have been fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to 12 months under the Animals and Birds Act.

Chirps that saved their day
Today Online 10 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE - It was an unexpected burst of song from a stack of crates on a motorcycle which gave the game away - and led to the biggest seizure of smuggled birds at the checkpoints since 2006.

In a joint statement, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that a motorcyclist had pulled up at the Woodlands Checkpoint in the early hours of Tuesday and produced an AVA permit to import some 10,000 insects: 5,000 grasshoppers and 5,000 crickets.

While inspecting the crates on the rear of the motorcycle, the ICA officers thought they heard chirps which did not sound like crickets.

They then uncovered six crates of live birds concealed below the consignment of crickets.

Altogether, 1,000 Munias and 140 Mata Putehs (Oriental White Eyes) were seized. Five minutes later, another motorcycle pulled into the checkpoint - the rider had an AVA permit to import grasshoppers and crickets - but he did not have any consignment with him.

On being questioned, the first motorcyclist, a 45-year-old Malaysian, admitted he was offered $250 to smuggle the birds into Singapore.

The second rider, a 56-year old man, was to oversee the bootlegging attempt.

The two were convicted yesterday and jailed for a month each for violating the Animals and Birds Act.

ICA foils attempt to smuggle over 1,000 birds into Singapore
Mustafa Shafawi Channel NewsAsia 9 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE : An attempt to smuggle more than 1,000 birds into Singapore was foiled at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Tuesday.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said it was the largest seizure of birds at the checkpoint since 2006.

A motorcyclist had pulled up at the border crossing in the early hours of Tuesday and produced an AVA permit, authorising the importation of 10,000 insects - 5,000 grasshoppers and 5,000 crickets.

While inspecting the crates stacked on the rear rack of the motorcycle, the ICA officers heard chirping sounds which aroused their suspicion.

They uncovered six crates of live birds concealed below the consignment of crickets. Altogether 1,000 Munias and 140 Mata Putehs were seized from the crates.

Barely five minutes later, another Malaysia-registered motorbike which had just pulled into the checkpoint was subjected to a check.

Officers found an AVA permit authorising the importation of grasshoppers and crickets in his possession even when he was not conveying any consignment.

This aroused the officers' suspicion. They decided to interview the second Malaysian Chinese rider. He too was involved in the attempt to smuggle the birds into Singapore.

The 45-year-old Malaysian Chinese who had attempted to bring in the birds illegally admitted to the smuggling activity.

He claimed that a Malaysian man by the name of Ah Meng had offered him S$250 for the delivery and instructed him to meet up with the second rider at a carpark near the checkpoint after the immigration and customs clearance.

The second rider, a 56-year-old man, corroborated the account of the first rider and added that his role was to oversee the bootlegging attempt.

The two were convicted in court on Wednesday afternoon and sentenced to one month's jail.

The importation of live birds without an AVA permit is a violation of the Animals and Birds Act. It carries a maximum penalty of S$10,000 and one year imprisonment.

- CNA/al