Armed with hidden cameras, a BBC team discovered a major drug dealer, a career criminal and a multi-million pound fraudster who has given up his jail cell for a luxury yacht.

Any criminal who makes a few elementary inquiries will find the best place to go is Northern Cyprus Extradition expert Alun Jones QC

And one fugitive told the BBC's Paul Kenyon:

"The lads here are on serious charges, I mean mega-serious, multiple murders, big drugs...

"If they deported all the drug dealers from here there would be no one left on the island."

The attraction to British criminals is no surprise to extradition expert Alun Jones QC who told the Kenyon Confronts programme:

"Any criminal who makes a few elementary inquiries will find the best place to go is Northern Cyprus because you can't be extradited."

Violent invasion

A violent invasion split Cyprus in 1974

Northern Cyprus is not recognised as a country by the UK so there is no extradition treaty in place.

An invasion by Turkish forces in 1974, prompted by an Athens-supported coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece, led to the country's division and the subsequent birth of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Ankara, and is shunned by the rest of the world.

Suspicious of foreign press, the government will not allow camera crews to film without permission and if filming takes place, the crew must be escorted by a minder. The programme had neither.

Risking expulsion from the island, the programme infiltrated the clandestine world of the fugitives and discovered a number of British criminals.

Life of luxury

Forty year-old Gary Robb from north-east England had not been seen for years.

His nightclub was raided in 1996 by 200 riot officers who netted �10,000 worth of amphetamines, ecstasy and cannabis.

He absconded during his trial and fled to Northern Cyprus where he now lives in a luxury villa near the picturesque holiday resort of Kyrenia.

This man should be brought back and he should stand his trial. Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Wilson

Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Wilson of Cleveland Police is adamant Mr Robb should be brought to justice.

"This man should be brought back and he should stand trial.

"I checked that the warrant was still in existence for him, so I can assure him he's more than welcome to come back."

Multi-million pound fraud

The programme also went in search of multi-million pound fraudster John Doherty. His attempts to defraud a Swiss bank out of �5m failed and he was jailed.

But he served just one year of his five-year sentence before escaping.

Retired detective sergeant Ray Jenkins was appalled.

"He's left his cell. He's become a full-time holiday maker. I always tried to show that crime didn't pay. He's showing that it can."

'Three most wanted'

BBC reporter Paul Kenyon infiltrated the fugitives world

When the programme gained the confidence of 55 year-old Stan Rankin, he even offered Paul Kenyon cigarette smuggling and money laundering work, warning him:

"If you can bring the money over, so much the better. Just be careful coming through Heathrow because they have sniffer dogs for money there."

During the meeting, the fugitive boasted:

"There's a warrant out for me in England. The three most wanted men: Brian Wright, Asil Nadir and myself."

Mr Rankin was charged in 1995 with possession of three million forged French francs but ran to Northern Cyprus before he could face trial.

A career criminal, his record for theft and fraud dates back 20 years.

At the end of the investigation, the programme left the island by boat to avoid their tapes being confiscated by customs.

The criminals they left behind are safe for the moment, but change is in the air. Northern Cyprus wants to join the European Union and if this happens it could spell the end of the fugitives' paradise.