Pair with sugar gliders busted at checkpoint

Straits Times 16 Feb 18;

Immigration officers at the Woodlands Checkpoint made a "sweet" find in the early hours of Valentine's Day - two sugar gliders hidden in a car coming into Singapore.

The two animals, which are small, omnivorous, nocturnal gliding marsupials that live in trees, were found inside a pouch.

Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) also found 44 cartons and 210 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes, hidden inside the dashboard and centre console of the car.

ICA officers referred the driver, a 25-year-old man, and the passenger, a 20-year-old woman, both Singaporeans, to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore.

The duty-unpaid cigarettes and vehicle were handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigations.

In a Facebook post yesterday, the ICA reminded travellers not to import or keep wild animals as pets.

Under the Animals and Birds Act, it is an offence to bring into Singapore any animal without an import licence.