Man from China fined S$17,500 for bringing in 8 luggage of 226kg assorted meat into Singapore

Chinese national Wang Liansheng was fined S$17,500 for illegally importing assorted meat products into Singapore.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said in a media release on Thursday (Sept 30) that it was alerted by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on June 8, 2022, on the detection of eight pieces of luggage containing various meat products at Changi Airport.

Wang’s luggage contained approximately 226 kg of frozen meat products such as chicken, beef, pork, mutton, and rabbit meat from China.

The illegal consignments were seized and destroyed, said SFA.

Food imports in Singapore must meet SFA’s requirements. “Food can only be imported by licensed importers, and every consignment must be declared and accompanied with a valid import permit.”

“Illegally imported food products are of unknown sources and pose food safety risks. Food products can only be imported from accredited sources in approved countries that comply with our food safety standards and requirements.

Offenders who import meat products illegally from unapproved sources are liable to a fine of S$50,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both.”

Repeat offenders can be fined up to S$100,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

“ICA will continue to conduct security checks to detect and deter illegal importation attempts to keep Singapore safe,” the agency noted.

At the same time, SFA will continue to safeguard food safety through an integrated food safety system, including strict import regulations and enforcement, as well as work closely with border control agencies to deter illegal imports across Singapore borders. /TISG

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