by Elena Chong
TWO Malaysian men who tried to smuggle in more than 1,000 birds
from across the Causeway without a licence were each jailed for one
month on Wednesday.
Lee Sung, 45, and Ho Kwee Ping, 56, pleaded guilty to importing
140 mata puteh birds and 1,000 munia birds from Malaysia at
Woodlands Checkpoint at about 4.25am on Tuesday.
The court heard that Lee came in first on a motorcycle and
produced a cargo clearance permit for a consignment of 5,000
grasshoppers and 5,000 crickets to Northern Aquarium.
While checking, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers
found six crates of live birds and heard chirping sounds.
The birds were found hidden below the consignment of crickets.
Five minutes later, Lee's accomplice, Ho, came on another
motorcycle and was arrested.
Both men could have been fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for
up to 12 months each.