A Malaysian man landed himself in jail for smuggling 12 arowanas into Singapore over 10 trips between September 2023 and April 2024.

Liyu Kim Guan, 51, was sentenced to nine months in jail after pleading guilty to six charges under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, with five remaining charges taken into consideration.

According to court documents, he had made an agreement with an unknown person named "Albert" to import and deliver the arowanas to customers in Singapore for a fee of up to RM450 (S$135) per delivery.

The National Parks Board (NParks) said in a statement that this was the first detected arowana smuggling case of 2024, among the around 18 cases of wildlife smuggling detected in 2024 through Singapore's checkpoints.

Out of these cases, six involved the smuggling of arowanas.

Had an import agreement with unknown person in Singapore

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers discovered the arowana in Liyu's Malaysian-registered vehicle at the Tuas Checkpoint at around 6:24pm on May 7, 2024.

Officers found one Asian Arowana tucked away in the trunk amongst heavy machinery tools.

Authorities seized one Asian Arowana, one rice gunny sack, two mobile phones used to coordinate the deliveries, and one Malaysia-registered vehicle.

Investigations revealed that he had carried out similar smuggling operations on 10 other occasions from September 2023 to April 2024.

Liyu would deliver each arowana for a fee of between RM300 (S$89) to RM450 (S$135).

"Albert" would pay Liyu via bank transfer once he returned to Malaysia.

On May 16, after his arrest, Liyu circulated a WhatsApp message to a group of people within the Asian arowana community requesting money to pay any fine that might be imposed on him.

He said in his message that he would offset such contributions from any further deliveries of arowanas that he would carry out in the future.

"When I go back to Malaysia, I will continue to transport arowana to SG. My supplier will continue to work with me and we will make it better to send fish to your house," his message stated.

Liyu was out on bail at that time.

Penalties and other arowana smuggling case

Asian Arowanas face high risk of extinction if their trade is not severely restricted, NParks said.

They are listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Anyone importing Asian Arowanas into Singapore is required to apply for a CITES permit.

NParks said: "Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances, such as for scientific research or for the establishment of breeding or propagation operations to aid in the species' recovery. This strict level of protection reflects the high conservation priority placed on the Asian Arowana due to its vulnerable status in the wild."

In a similar case on Jul. 19, 2024, two months after Liyu's arrest, a 55-year-old Malaysian man brought in one live Asian Arowana via the Woodlands Checkpoint without a valid CITES permit.

Mohd Firdaus Ng Bin Abdullah, a lorry driver, had helped his acquaintance, a male Singaporean, to bring in the fish on his behalf for S$50.

Officers conducting a surprise check found the arowana packed with water in a clear plastic bag and placed on the floorboard of the front passenger seat compartment.

He was sentenced to one week's jail on Aug. 2.

Top photos via NParks