3 weeks' jail each for married couple who smuggled dogs from Malaysia

A married couple who smuggled a pomeranian and a dachshund across the Causeway for a quick buck have been jailed.

Soon Boon Khong and Reina Wong Si Qi, both 28, stood to earn between $900 and $1,000 for each completed transaction, according to court documents.

On June 4, they were each jailed for three weeks after pleading guilty to two charges under the Animals and Birds Act. Two similar charges for each of them were taken into consideration.

In court, District Judge Wong Li Tein said importing animals without proper licensing poses public health risks, which Singapore as a densely populated community cannot afford to take.

The buyer of the dachshund, Tok Su Wen, 41, was fined $7,000 in December 2024 - the first time the National Parks Board (NParks) had prosecuted a purchaser for abetting animal smuggling.

NParks prosecutor Lim Chong Hui told the court that in late 2022, Soon and Wong noticed a demand for pets sold at prices lower than those at pet shops in Singapore.

They began advertising animals from various sources in Malaysia for sale on social media platforms and chat groups on messaging application Telegram.

Initially, the couple only introduced potential buyers to sellers in Malaysia, earning between $50 and $100 for acting as middlemen.

After the sellers said they preferred to deal directly with the couple instead of the buyers, Soon and Wong started getting involved in the transportation of the animals.

They were aware that importing animals from Malaysia without the requisite licence was illegal but chose to disregard the legal requirements due to the high fees involved.

Before their arrest, the couple smuggled a pomeranian and a poodle on Feb 1, 2023, without being detected. The dogs' current status is unknown.

Tok had reached out to Soon and Wong in January 2023 after seeing an ad they had posted for dogs for sale on Telegram. She was informed that the importation of animals would be done illegally, but she decided to go ahead.

On Feb 2, 2023, Soon and Wong collected two dogs from a pet shop in Johor Bahru. Soon had got the pomeranian as a gift for Wong while the dachshund was to be delivered to Tok's home.

The offence came to light when the couple's vehicle was stopped for an inspection at the Woodlands Checkpoint around 6pm that day.

Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority found both dogs at the foot area of the front passenger seat. Wong had placed her handbag in front to obscure them from view.

Both dogs had an umbilical hernia while the dachshund had a bloated belly, patches of hair loss and dirty ears. But they were otherwise alert and hydrated.

The couple's lawyer Tan Cheng Kiong argued for a fine instead of jail, noting that the dogs they had brought in were not mistreated or suffering from any canine diseases.

Mr Tan also said his clients were first-time offenders.

"They are still relatively young, and I think this is going to be a lesson for them that they will certainly learn from," he said.

In response, Mr Lim said it was purely fortuitous that the dogs had no diseases, and it was not because the couple had taken measures to ensure it.

In an earlier statement, NParks said the smuggling and illegal trade of pets pose a threat to public health and also compromise animal welfare.

NParks strongly encourages prospective owners to adopt their pets from animal welfare groups or to purchase them from licensed shops.

The agency also warned that buyers who abet the illicit importation of their pets into Singapore may also end up facing prosecution.

Under the Animals and Birds Act, offenders caught importing any animal or bird without a licence can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both.