HIT WITH MAXIMUM FINE: Student Liu Liangwu, 21, escaped a jail sentence for smuggling in a two-month-old chihuahua (next picture) at the Woodlands Checkpoint last year. -- ST PHOTO: FRANCIS ONG

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Liu Liangwu, who was caught smuggling the dog into the country from Johor, was handed a $10,000 fine yesterday, the maximum amount for importing an animal without a licence.

The 21-year-old, who had no previous criminal record, will not get to keep the puppy. But he did escape jail time, the usual sentence for such offenders.

The student was nabbed on Dec 24 last year at the Woodlands Checkpoint - an area rife with quarantine signs warning people against sneaking animals into the country, said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) officer who prosecuted the case.

Mr Yap Teck Chuan told a district court that a Customs officer was checking Liu's car when he felt something furry hidden in a closed compartment under the driver's seat.

Asked what was inside, Liu said it was a puppy, the court heard. He said he had bought the brown chihuahua from a pet shop in Johor because he could not find any in Singapore.

Pressing for a stiff sentence, Mr Yap said unlicensed dogs and cats have the potential to trigger an outbreak of rabies. The disease, which can be fatal, has not been detected in Singapore since 1953, though it is common in neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

Mr Yap asked District Judge May Mesenas to impose the maximum fine to discourage other potential pet smugglers.

Defence lawyer Khoo Aik Yeow said his client has been 'living in fear and anxiety' since being charged, and had learnt his lesson.

Speaking to The Straits Times earlier, Liu said he used to keep hamsters and rabbits. and this was the first time he had bought a puppy.

'I did not know it is so serious. It is just a pet,' he said.

Meanwhile, the AVA said the puppy has been quarantined. If it is healthy, it will be put up for adoption in Singapore.

The AVA said it usually investigates 10 to 20 suspected cases of animal smuggling annually. Seven cases were probed last year.

Liu is only the third person since 2001 to be prosecuted for the offence.

He pleaded guilty on Monday and could have been fined and jailed for up to 12 months under the Animals and Birds Act.