Singapore man jailed for smuggling pig intestines

SINGAPORE, Thursday (AFP) - A Singaporean man has been jailed three months for trying to smuggle raw pig intestines from Malaysia, court officials said Thursday.

Singapore's coast guard intercepted Tan Choong Wah, 46, in October as he steered his sampan toward the city-state loaded with 29 packets, or 232 kilograms (510 pounds), of pig intestines bound for a buyer, officials said.

Pig intestines are commonly used in Chinese cooking.

Tan could have been jailed up to two years and fined 50,000 Singapore dollars (around 30,000 US).

Singapore has banned imports of pig products from Malaysia since an outbreak of the potentially fatal Nipah virus more than six years ago.