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SINGAPORE: A 37-year-old man wanted for drug trafficking was arrested in Malaysia and deported to Singapore on Sunday (Oct 20) after seven years on the run.

The man was wanted in connection with several cases of drug trafficking and other drug-related offences committed between 2014 and 2024.

The Singaporean was first arrested and charged in court on April 3, 2014, with three counts of drug trafficking and one count of drug consumption. He was then released on bail. 

The suspect failed to attend court on Jun 12, 2017, and an arrest warrant was issued against him, said the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in a news release on Monday.

The man was also wanted by the police to assist in investigations into two cases of voluntarily causing grievous hurt and cheating by impersonation, CNB added.

The suspect was eventually arrested in Malaysia on Oct 1 by the country's Narcotics Crime Investigation Department for criminal and immigration offences.

He was deported to Singapore on Sunday, and arrested by CNB on the same day.

The man was brought to court to face his original 2014 drug charges. 

CNB is also pursuing investigations into the other cases of drug trafficking, it said.

CNB's acting director, Senior Assistant Commissioner Leon Chan, expressed his appreciation to the Malaysian authorities on behalf of the bureau.

"Drug traffickers thinking to evade our law by hiding overseas will find that there is no safe haven," he said. 

SAC Chan added that the close cooperation between CNB and its Malaysian counterparts, and the eventual arrest of the suspect, is "testament to the strong working relationship that CNB has with them".