Man jailed for smuggling 11 puppies into S'pore by hiding them in car's modified fuel tank

Ravichandran Muthusamy, 43, was sentenced to 30 weeks of imprisonment for illegally importing 11 puppies into Singapore.

According to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), he was also sentenced to 20 weeks of imprisonment for subjecting the puppies to unnecessary pain or suffering.

Both sentences will run concurrently.

Ravichandran had driven a Malaysia-registered car to Woodlands Checkpoint on Mar 23 at around 9pm when he was directed for further checks upon arrival.

Durring the inspection, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found 11 puppies hidden in the modified fuel tank of the car.

The case was then referred to the AVA.

After investigating the case, AVA found that Ravichandran had been commissioned to smuggle the puppies to an unknown person in Singapore.

He was instructed to drive the car into Singapore with the hidden puppies.

There was no food or water provided for the puppies in the modified compartment of the car which was cramped and had limited space for the puppies to move.

The puppies are currently being cared for and quarantined at AVA's facilities.

The ICA and AVA advises travellers against bringing live animals, birds and insects into Singapore without a proper permit. The public can refer to AVA’s website for more information on bringing back animals from overseas travels.