Dutch authorities have announced a significant reward of 2 million euros—approximately $2.2 million—for information leading to the arrest of Jos Leijdekkers. Leijdekkers is one of Europe’s top fugitive drug traffickers and is believed to be hiding in Sierra Leone.
Nicknamed ‘Bolle Jos’ or ‘Chubby Jos,’ Leijdekkers is a key figure in the international cocaine trade. Dutch prosecutors have prioritized his arrest, increasing the previous reward tenfold. Leijdekkers received a 24-year prison sentence in absentia from a Rotterdam court in 2024. The charges included organizing drug shipments totaling nearly 7,000 kilos of cocaine, participating in armed robbery, and ordering a killing. Additionally, he was handed a 79-year prison sentence in Belgium.
Dutch police have pinpointed the 35-year-old’s location to Sierra Leone. According to the Dutch authorities, any shared information will remain confidential.
Links to Sierra Leone
In January 2025, Dutch officials confirmed with certainty that Leijdekkers was residing in Sierra Leone. Prosecutor Wim de Bruin highlighted the priority of his return to the Netherlands. Reports, including those from the BBC, have indicated Leijdekkers’ possible connections to influential figures in Sierra Leone. Images surfaced showing him potentially engaging with President Julius Maada Bio and possibly the President’s daughter.
The suspicions about Leijdekkers’ presence in Sierra Leone intensified after First Lady Fatima Bio posted images and videos on social media. The content appeared to show Leijdekkers attending a religious event in Tihun, Sierra Leone, alongside President Bio.
Involvement in Disappearance Case
Authorities believe Leijdekkers is linked to the 2019 disappearance of Naima Jillal. Europol reported that intercepted messages implicated him in Jillal’s case. Initially, Jillal vanished after entering a vehicle in Amsterdam. Subsequently, seized phone data from the Marengo investigation contained photos strongly suggesting she was tortured and is now presumed dead.