Netherland's Most Wanted Cocaine Kingpin Hiding in Sierra Leone
NAIROBI/THE HAGUE, Jan 24 - One of Europe's most wanted fugitives, convicted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers, has found refuge and high-level protection in Sierra Leone, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the matter as well as photos and video footage seen by Reuters. The images and accounts shed fresh light on the role of the West African nation, which international law enforcement officials say is a transshipment point for large volumes of Latin American cocaine headed to Europe. Leijdekkers, also known as ‘Bolle Jos’, is on Europol's list of most wanted fugitives.
Sources: ReutersUPDATED: 7 March 2025: Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Kanneh was sacked and replaced. Expand the article to read the updated information.
Jos Leijdekker
Convicted cocaine smuggler
“Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Kanneh was sacked and replaced. Kanneh is under scrutiny after being identified in a video alongside Jos Leijdekkers, the convicted Dutch drug lord believed to be operating a Narco Hub and Distribution Center in Sierra Leone. The appointment effectively terminates his services.”
The video footage captures a scuffle involving Jos Leijdekkers, also known as 'Bolle Jos,' at Freetown's Scarlet Nightclub in early 2023, alongside a businessman. Kanneh is also visible in the video.
LATEST: Sierra Leone Cocaine Saga: Umaru Fofanah ~ BBC News
“KEY UPDATE: Dutch Prosecution Office”
Jos Leijdekkers, aka Bolle Jos (chunky Jos)
The International Dragnet —WANTED
Dutch public prosecution office has confirmed that the Netherlands’ most wanted drugs criminal Jos Leijdekkers, aka Bolle Jos (chunky Jos), is hiding out in Sierra Leone following reports by investigative platform Follow the Money and the AD.
Leijdekkers (33), who is both on the national and the international Europol most wanted list, was sentenced to 24 years in jail in 2024 for organizing six drug transports comprising some 7,000 kilos of cocaine and for commissioning a murder.
He is also thought to be involved in the disappearance and murder of drug crime linchpin Naima Jilal, whose dead and tortured body was found on a phone impounded during the Marengo investigation.
Who is Jos Leijdekkers (Bolle Jos)
Meet Europe's most wanted drug kingpin and fugitive, Jos Leijdekkers, also known as 'Bolle Jos' (Chunky Jos).
During a recent press conference, Information Minister Chernor Bah indirectly acknowledged the presence of an individual known by the alias Umar Sheriff in Sierra Leone. This individual Jos Leijdekkers, a notorious drug kingpin and fugitive from Europe is also referred to as 'Bello Jos' or 'Chunky Jos' and is believed to have several other aliases. Private Investigative reports indicate that he first entered Turkiye on July 4, 2020, using a German passport under the alias 'Daniel Ernst.'
Multiple investigative agencies suspect that the wanted individual, Joseph Johannes Leijdekkers, possesses a German passport and a Turkiye ID under the name Daniel Ernst. The investigation has revealed that he has been in Sierra Leone since 2022.
The dragnet is tightening. Investigators are uncovering the various identities of Joseph Johannes Leijdekker, also known as 'Bolle Jos,' for a specific reason—the takedown.
REUTERS: Netherlands asks Sierra Leone to extradite cocaine kingpin
This is an ongoing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Exclusive: European cocaine kingpin has high-level protection in Sierra Leone-sources: Reuters
By David Lewis, Stephanie van den Berg and Reade Levinson | January 24, 20255:14 PM EST Updated 17 hours ago
Europol headquarters is pictured in The Hague, Netherlands, November 25, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
NAIROBI/THE HAGUE, Jan 24 - One of Europe's most wanted fugitives, convicted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers, has found refuge and high-level protection in Sierra Leone, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the matter as well as photos and video footage seen by Reuters.
The images and accounts shed fresh light on the role of the West African nation, which international law enforcement officials say is a transshipment point for large volumes of Latin American cocaine headed to Europe.
Leijdekkers, who is Dutch, was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison on June 25 by a Rotterdam court for smuggling more than 7 tonnes of cocaine. Dutch police have said he was believed to be living in Turkey until recently.
A spokesperson for the Dutch prosecutor's office told Reuters on Friday in response to questions about his whereabouts that he has been living in Sierra Leone for at least six months. Two of the sources who were aware of the situation said Leijdekkers had been in Sierra Leone since at least early 2023.
photos of a church mass in Sierra Leone on Jan. 1, 2025 show Leijdekkers, 33, sitting two rows behind Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio, next to a woman
"It is the highest priority of police and prosecutors to get him to the Netherlands to serve his sentence. We are doing everything we can in that regard," Dutch prosecutors' office spokesman Wim de Bruin said, declining further comment.
Reuters was not able to reach Leijdekkers. The Dutch judges who convicted him noted in their court ruling that he did not mandate an attorney to put forward a defense on his behalf in court. Guy Weski, the lawyer who last represented Leijdekkers in the Netherlands did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Videos and photos of a church mass in Sierra Leone on Jan. 1, 2025, show Leijdekkers, 33, sitting two rows behind Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio, next to a woman.
Reuters identified Leijdekkers by using five different facial recognition tools to compare the man at the church, as seen in a video and images on Facebook and in another video on YouTube, with photos of Leijdekkers released by Europol in 2022. The tools all determined they were a match, ranging between 82 - 98% confidence.
The three sources said the woman was Bio's daughter Agnes and that Leijdekkers was married to her. Reuters could not confirm the relationship. Agnes Bio did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent to her email and her social media accounts. The mass was held at St Joseph's Catholic Church in the president's hometown of Tihun, in southern Sierra Leone.
The three sources said Leijdekkers has high-level protection in Sierra Leone, where they said he frequently spends time. The sources declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Sierra Leone's Information Minister and Government Spokesperson Chernor Bah did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent to him via WhatsApp.
MOST WANTED
Leijdekkers is on Europol's list of most wanted fugitives. [click the most wanted to view Europol’s most wanted fugitive.]
In a Sept. 4 update on the wanted notice for him, Dutch police said he was "one of the key players in international cocaine trafficking." They said the 7,000 kg of confiscated cocaine shipments that were behind his 2024 conviction were likely a fraction of his business.
Citing intercepted communications, Dutch police said that Leijdekkers "has probably been laundering tens of millions of euros and hundreds of kilos of gold that may have been earned from the cocaine trade". Reuters has no independent evidence to confirm that.
Over the last two decades, West Africa has become a major transit point for large volumes of cocaine being smuggled from Latin America to Europe, recording a number of large seizures of the drug.
Last year, members of a UK-based crime group were imprisoned for trying to smuggle 1.3 tonnes of cocaine, worth 140 million pounds, into the UK from Sierra Leone. Reuters could not establish if Leijdekkers was involved in the deal.
Dutch prosecutors have offered a 200,000-euro ($210,000) reward for tips that lead to the arrest of Leijdekkers, the highest ever for any Dutch fugitive.
($1 = 0.9513 euros)
The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.Reporting by David Lewis in Nairobi, Stephanie van der Berg in The Hague, Reade Levinson and Filipp Lebedev in London, editing by Silvia Aloisi and Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.Feel free to post your comments in the ‘Post Comment’ section.“Words of caution: Those traveling to/from Sierra Leone at any time. It’s a zoo out there. Be careful. Stay alert.”
“Bio’s administration through the Ministry of Information issued a statement regarding the Dutch cocaine kingpin, Jos Leijdekkers, also known as ‘Bolle Jos,’ who is in hiding in Sierra Leone.”
FREETOWN: Sunday, January 26, 2025 — Sierra Leone's Ministry of Information announced on Sunday that it is investigating media reports suggesting that European cocaine kingpin Jos Leijdekkers is present in the country and receiving high-level protection. The ministry also stated that the government has not received any formal communication regarding Leijdekkers from any state or institution. He further stated that they are committed to ensuring the country does not become a sanctuary for organized crime.
“Europol identifies Dutch Drug Kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, also known as ‘Bolle Jos’, with many aliases.”
Leijdekkers in Europol's list of most wanted fugitives [click the most wanted to view Europol’s most wanted fugitive.]
THE INVESTIGATION: A coalition of international crime agencies, including the Dutch Police, Europol, Interpol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), is leading the investigation and uncovering the truth at every turn.
The crime agencies have expanded their dragnet to include officials and associates involved in the cover-up of the Bolle Jos case and Mr. Alimamy Bangura, the ambassador to Guinea implicated in diplomatic missions' cocaine trafficking.
Tag: #USEmbassyFreetown
European Union Invests Over €18 Million
To boost strategic agricultural investments for job creation through the inclusion of the private sector in agriculture, the European Union (EU), with the Government of Sierra Leone, has launched 15 Grants contracts worth over 18 (€18) million Euros.
On agricultural activities
To boost strategic agricultural investments for job creation through the inclusion of the private sector in agriculture, the European Union (EU), with the Government of Sierra Leone, has launched 15 Grants contracts worth over 18 million Euros (€18). The project expected to benefit about 8000 farmers. Increase the quality and quantity of Cocoa, Coffee, Cashew production, processing, marketing, and trading as part of the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) and the European Union Boosting Agriculture for Food Security Project (BAFS). Also, a total of 2,205 farmers are to improve food farming techniques adaptable to climate change, increased market access, and local entrepreneurship.
The ceremony took place on Thursday 20th February 2020, at the Miatta Conference car park, in Freetown. In attendance, the country's Vice President, Dr.Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh.
The grants will enable the beneficiaries to implement activities that will promote innovative and integrated farming techniques that will enhance market linkages for smallholder farmers and build their capacities to improve on their incomes as well as food and nutrition.
It would also support women and youth employment through small and medium-sized enterprise development activities.
The initiative fits into the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry national agricultural transformation plan, which has four key priorities; rice self-sufficiency, life stock development, crop diversification, and sustainable forest and biodiversity.
Increased Production and Productivity
Permanent Secretary attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mrs. Fatmata Mustapha, encouraged the recipients to take full advantage of the need to use the grants to further capacity in the increasing production and productivity along value chains.
Vice-President, Juldeh Jalloh expressed gratitude to the EU for facilitating the project; noting, that it was important for the Government’s drive for economic diversification. He said that President Julius Maada Bio, has over the years, continued to reiterate that agriculture was a priority in food-sufficiency that supports various value chains and encourages the growth of small-scale industries creating over 24,000 employment for women and youth.
The Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Francis Kai-Kai, noted the numerous challenges facing the agriculture sector ranging from low productivity, use of rudimentary technology, low-level infrastructure for marketing, among others.
These challenges recognized and addressed in the Medium Term National Development Plan (2019-2023) in cluster 2.1: Improving the productivity and commercialization of the agricultural sector.
In his statement, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dennis Vandi said the Ministry would provide the requisite enabling environment for the private sector, and development that would seek to improve the agriculture sector.
Tom Vens, the EU Ambassador, was convinced the new approach could unlock private investment and exploit significant opportunities in the agricultural sector with a specific focus on jobs for the youths. What was witnessed was the result of a highly competitive process in which a total of 67 applications and 15 projects emerged.
The EU support to BAFS recipients covers export cash crops and sustainable agriculture, diversification (Crops and Livestock). Support short value chains include non-formal micro-enterprises produced with artisanal methods, and a limited number of intermediaries between smallholder farmers, and the market. And support to large-scale value chains integrating formal and already well-established SMEs in the agribusiness sector.