Singapore jails tourist for smuggling Indian star tortoises at Changi Airport

Abdul Jaffar Haji Ali was charged on Dec. 10 with one count of illegally importing a scheduled species into Singapore, according to Channel News Asia.

The incident occurred on Aug. 29, when he transited at Changi Airport after arriving from Chennai, India.

He was waiting to board a connecting flight to Jakarta when Singaporean immigration officers screened his luggage and discovered the tortoises concealed in a bag, as reported by The Straits Times.

Indian star tortoises are listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Singapore law requires a valid permit issued by the director-general of wildlife trade control to import such species.

Abdul Jaffar failed to produce the necessary documentation.

Investigations revealed that he had been traveling to Jakarta for a holiday. A friend had planned the trip for him, covering the cost of his flight in exchange for transporting a packed suitcase to the Indonesian capital, where someone was supposed to collect it.

Abdul Jaffar claimed he did not question the contents of the bag, trusting his friend's explanation that it contained women's clothing.