Man who tried to smuggle bird by hiding it in potato chips tube fined $5,000

A 23-year-old man who tried to smuggle a live bird inside a potato chips tube at Woodlands Checkpoint was fined $5,000 on Wednesday (June 13).

Lim Ke Yi was caught trying to import the White-Rumped Shama into Singapore when Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found the tube in the glove compartment of a Malaysia-registered car on May 27.

The case was referred to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) for further investigations, with the bird placed under its care.

In a statement, the AVA said that Lim did not have an import licence for the import of birds.

A second charge of failure to ensure that the animal was not subjected to unnecessary suffering was also taken into consideration.