Man, 22, gets 16 weeks' jail after smuggling 5 Pomeranian puppies into S'pore from M'sia

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 16 weeks' jail on Jan. 16 after he smuggled five Pomeranian puppies into Singapore from Malaysia in 2023.

Bryan Peh Jia Hao had transported the animals in his car boot in unsuitable conditions for up to S$1,500, reported The Straits Times (ST).

The puppies, intended for sale in Singapore, were later found to be unwell.

Hid puppies in plastic container

Court documents indicated that Peh was approached by his friend, Callurn Lim Yuan Jin, in October 2023 and asked if he was interested in illegally bringing in the puppies from Malaysia into Singapore

He was offered between S$250 to S$300 for each animal in return.

Lim, together with his wife, Ng Siew Teng, had allegedly intended to sell the Pomeranian puppies in Singapore.

Peh had agreed and smuggled puppies by car on the couple's behalf in the same month.

On Dec. 27, 2023, he was stopped by an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer in a random inspection while attempting to bring five puppies into Singapore.

Officers later discovered two puppies inside a pet carrier placed within a plastic storage container in the car boot.

Three others were found in the same container but outside the carrier.

Puppies suffered from canine parvovirus

The puppies were later examined, and found to have suffered unnecessarily due to cramped conditions and poor ventilation.

They were also infected with canine parvovirus, a fatal disease which may cause vomiting and diarrhoea.

According to ST, National Parks Board (NParks) prosecutor Fadhlina Idris said Peh had disregarded the licensing and regulatory requirements for legally importing dogs, noting that the puppies endured at least two hours of suffering in the vehicle.

His lawyer argued that Peh had had tried to reduce the puppies' suffering by placing towels in the container and lowering the back seat to allow air-conditioning to reach the boot.

He added that Peh was "just an errand boy", and that he did not benefit from Lim and Ng's profits.

Their case is currently being handled separately.

Peh pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including illegally importing the dogs and failing to prevent them from being confined in conditions that caused unnecessary suffering.

Top photos via Canva