A NORTH-EAST undercover journalist whose identity has remained a closely-guarded secret has died while trying to smash a drug-smuggling ring in Afghanistan.

Tributes were last night paid to former elite forces soldier Stephen Paul Ibinson, who has been instrumental in exposing people involved in animal cruelty and neo-nazi activities.

The 33-year-old, who grew up in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, earned a reputation as one of the UK’s top undercover reporters for his work with the BBC and a number of newspapers.

The father-of-three is thought to have died from a massive heart attack while investigating an opium ring in Kabul.

He is best known for the Bafta award-winning BBC Panorama programme The Farmers’ Boys, in which he infiltrated the inner circle of a dog-fighting network in County Armagh, Ireland.

The film led to an RSPCA probe of potential gang members which included Yarm couple Gary and Jane Adamsom.

Friends and colleagues describe Mr Ibinson as “one of investigative journalism’s greatest talents” but to readers he was known simply as Undercover Steve, or Ibbo.

His brother, Denis Foulds, 43, of Newton Aycliffe, discovered him barely breathing at accommodation they were sharing in Kabul on Thursday, April 16.

He was due to return to the UK a few days later.

Friends and family paid tribute to him yesterday.

“On a personal level, I saw him as a warrior,” said Mr Foulds.

“He was a hard man, but also very gentle. We are proud of him and what he has achieved with his life in such a short time.

“He did everything with 120 per cent.”

He leaves behind a wife and three children and was the youngest of four siblings, Sharon, 46, Denis, 43 and Andrew, 40.

His father, 70, and also called Stephen, is a former borough councillor for Newton Aycliffe and his mother, Sandra, is a former borough councillor for Newton Aycliffe and a Great Aycliffe town councillor.

His widow said: “He followed his heart in everything he did and he uncovered so much animal cruelty in Northern Ireland and put an end to so much pain.

“He was a tough man with a soft heart who knew right from wrong and who always made sure everyone around him was okay before he even thought about himself.

“He was due to leave Afghanistan on Tuesday and would have been home by Thursday and I was getting prepared for his homecoming.

“I was so pleased because he planned to resign from the American company he’d been working for because we were both tired of the long absences, and we both wanted to spend more time with the kids.”

His father, a pensioner who lives in Ashfield, Newton Aycliffe, said: “He just lived his life to the full.

“I can’t fault him in any way. He did what he wanted to do and he did it well.

“When I met the people from the TV, all the producers said he was so good at what he did and they felt safe with him.”

At 27, Mr Ibinson left the Parachute Regiment to run his own firm, SI Investigations, where he would pursue fraud and adultery cases.

He was soon sought after for his skills and worked for the News of the World, the BBC and the Belfast Telegraph.

“He didn't have any qualifications as such, so he just saw an opening and he took it,” his father said.

“As an ex-serviceman, he had all the things he needed to do the job.”

A dedicated animal rights activist, he helped the Belfast Telegraph investigate cruel puppy farms and the illegal sale of pit bull terriers.

He was also involved in a campaign to identify sex criminals on their release from jail and has risked his life going undercover among gangs of neo-nazi thugs.

Martin Breen, a Belfast Telegraph reporter, was also a close friend. He said: “Words such as fearless, tenacious and dedicated are often over used, but in Steve’s case, due to the unique nature of his work, they seem understated.

“Investigative journalism has lost one of its greatest talents.

He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

Mr Ibinson left the region when he joined the Army and settled elsewhere in the UK but a memorial service will take place in Newton Aycliffe.