A New Zealand man sought by Interpol for alleged drug trafficking in Malaysia has been arrested in Cambodia where he has been evading authorities for two years, an anti-drug police office said yesterday.
Selby Dean Freeman, 34, who also holds a British passport, was finally caught out when he applied to renew his Cambodian visa and officials realized that he was a wanted man.
Cambodian anti-drug police had sought Mr. Freeman for more than two years, said Ing Song, administration bureau chief at the Interior Ministry’s anti-drug department.
He was detained on Wednesday afternoon at the Interior Ministry’s general department of immigration by the request of Malaysian authorities and Interpol police, Mr. Song said.
Mr. Freeman was listed on Interpol’s “red notice” list of most wanted criminals for his suspected involvement in drug trafficking in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in June 2012, according to Mr. Song. He managed to stay under the radar in Cambodia by living at guesthouses and apartments after he fled Malaysia, charged with a crime that could earn him life in prison in the predominantly Muslim nation.
“After he had problems in Malaysia, he was charged. But, he escaped to Cambodia and went into hiding,” Mr. Song said.
Mr. Freeman was charged with possession and drug trafficking in Malaysia, he said, although he was unaware of what type of drugs with which he had been allegedly caught.
Cambodian police are currently filing paperwork for his deportation and have alerted Malaysian authorities of his impending return, Mr. Song said.
