3 weeks' jail for married couple who smuggled dogs from Malaysia

A married couple who smuggled a Pomeranian and a dachshund across the Causeway for a quick buck have been jailed.

- Christine Tan

Soon Boon Khong and Reina Wong Si Qi, both 28, stood to earn between $900 and $1,000 for each completed transaction, according to court documents.

On June 4, they were each jailed for three weeks after pleading guilty to two charges under the Animals and Birds Act. Two similar charges for each of them were taken into consideration.

In court, District Judge Wong Li Tein said importing animals without proper licensing poses public health risks, which Singapore as a densely populated community cannot afford to take.

The buyer of the dachshund, Tok Su Wen, 41, was fined $7,000 in December 2024 – the first time the National Parks Board (NParks) had prosecuted a purchaser for abetting animal smuggling.

NParks prosecutor Lim Chong Hui told the court that in late 2022, Soon and Wong noticed a demand for pets sold at prices lower than those at pet shops in Singapore.

They began advertising animals from various sources in Malaysia for sale on social media platforms and chat groups on messaging application Telegram.