SINGAPORE, Dec 14 — A 25-year-old man hid 12 puppies in the spare tyre compartment of his car and tried to smuggle them into Singapore from Malaysia.

Three puppies eventually died.

The Singaporean man was caught in the wee hours on Tuesday (December 11) at the Tuas checkpoint after an Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer noticed anomalies in the boot of the Singapore-registered car.

The sedated puppies were discovered after the spare tyre and cover of the spare tyre compartment were removed.

A total of 12 puppies were retrieved from the car. — Handout via TODAY

Some of the 12 puppies were weak and three died subsequently, the ICA and Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a joint statement yesterday. The man has been arrested.

The nine surviving puppies are currently being cared for and quarantined at AVA’s facilities, while the driver is being investigated by the AVA for not possessing valid health certificates and import permits.

"Animals that are smuggled into Singapore are of unknown health status and may introduce exotic diseases, such as rabies, into the country,” the agencies said in the statement.

Offenders who import any animals without a valid AVA permit may be fined up to S$10,000 (RM30,432), jailed up to one year, or both. — TODAY