A 63-year-old woman was fined S$7,000 (US$5,000) by a Singapore court on Wednesday after pleading guilty of importing nearly 500 “balut” duck eggs into Singapore from Vietnam early last month.
On Sept. 8, Le Thi Ung was noticed by officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority pushing a trolley carrying two suspicious styrofoam boxes at Singapore’s Changi Airport, the Channel reported.
She was searched and officers found 490 eggs, which were later confirmed to be embryonated duck eggs, commonly known as balut – a street snack originating from the Philippines, popular in several Southeast Asian countries, but forbidden in Singapore by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore.
The woman said she bought the duck eggs at a wet market in Vietnam. She was pleaded guilty on Oct. 3 to breaching the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act and was fined S$7,000.
_Awts!