Europe’s most-wanted fugitives are increasingly evading capture by becoming Turkish citizens, police have told Vice World News.

Law enforcement officials have grown concerned that criminals linked to large-scale drug trafficking are exploiting Turkey’s policy of issuing citizenship to investors, while also taking advantage of the fact the country is refusing to extradite its newly minted citizens.

Rawa Majid, known as the “Kurdish Fox,” an accused Iraqi-Kurdish drug trafficker and suspected of major crimes in Sweden, resides in Turkey after purchasing citizenship in 2020 through its so-called “Golden Passport” programme, which offers citizenship in exchange for $400,000 (around £320,000) in investment.

See Also:

“Misgendering” violates YouTube’s Guidelines, exposing genitals apparently doesn’t

Despite arrest warrants from Interpol and Sweden, where he is one of the country’s most-wanted criminals, Turkey refuses to arrest or extradite Majid because of this citizenship.

Read more: Vice