Top Ten Fugitive Destinations
Spain
Although traditionally more popular with European runaways, a former Wall Street broker who escaped house arrest in the United States was found in the coastal city of Mirabella on July 16, 2009. A corporate vice president at Credit Suisse in New York, Julian Tzolov is charged with security fraud. Working with a partner, Tzolov defrauded customers by purchasing over $1 billion in securities backed by subprime mortgages, not student loans as the customers were led to believe.
Dubbed the "Costa Del Crime" by tabloids, the area around Málaga on Spain's southern coast has long been a destination for British expatriates wanting to retire from a life of crime to the beautiful region. When an extradition treaty between Spain and the U.K. collapsed in 1978, British bandits began to flock there to avoid prosecution, and continued to do so even though the treaty was restored in 1985. Kenneth Noye, who had served time for his involvement in laundering the proceeds of the 1983 Brinks Mat gold bullion robbery, was wanted for the 1996 stabbing death of 21-year-old Stephen Cameron. He was found hiding in Spain two years later, and is now serving a life sentence for murder in the U.K.
PROS: With a thriving community of shady Britons, you'll always have someone interesting to talk shop with.
CONS: Málaga isn't only home to criminal retirees — according to Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency, the area is being used by Britain's most wanted to conduct international criminal dealings, namely drug trafficking. This activity led to a Spain-U.K. cooperative crackdown called Operación Captura, which, with its self-explanatory name, may make your stay in sunny Spain short-lived.