A MAN who smuggled a puppy into Singapore in a hand-carry paper bag was sentenced to three weeks' jail on Friday.

Mechanic Tan Chai Teck, 29, who will start his sentence at the end of the month, pleaded guilty to importing the two-month-old puppy on Aug 20, with a friend.

A warrant of arrest was issued against Tan's friend, Ching Mee Ling, 32, a Malaysian masseuse, who failed to turn up in court for the summons.

Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan said the couple arrived at the Woodlands checkpoint in a Singapore registered taxi.

On checking the woman's belongings, a police officer found the brown puppy - a shih tzu - in a hand-carry paper bag. Tan could not produce any import document for the puppy he had bought from a pet shop in Malacca.

Mr Yap asked for a deterrent sentence because of the transmission of disease by dogs.

He said that dogs from Malaysia, which have not undergone the required import procedures, pose a risk to the Singapore public.

He also said that such cases were hard to detect.

Tan could have been fined up to $10,000 or jailed for up to 12 months, or both, under the Animals and Birds Act.