Sierra Leone (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Dutch drug lord Jos “Bolle Jos” Leijdekkers, wanted for large-scale drug trafficking, is reportedly hiding in Sierra Leone. The Dutch government has asked for Sierra Leonean assistance to capture the drug kingpin by offering €200,000 to those who provide information.
Convicted Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, also known as “Bolle Jos,” is reportedly hiding in Sierra Leone, prompting investigations by both the Netherlands and Sierra Leone. European criminal authorities consider Leijdekkers a most-wanted fugitive after he received a 24-year prison sentence for smuggling seven tons of cocaine in absentia. The Netherlands government searches for Leijdekkers while requesting international legal cooperation from Sierra Leone.
Drug prosecution records revealed Leijdekkers spent six months in Sierra Leone as the public prosecution office established his location. Police authorities raised the monetary reward value for information about Leijdekkers’ location to €200,000 throughout 2023. The Sierra Leonean Ministry of Information made it clear they would work alongside Dutch authorities and their police forces along with Interpol to capture him.
A court handed down Leijdekkers’ in absentia punishment in June of last year when he was 33 years old. The surveillance video captured Leijdekkers sitting behind President Julius Maada Bio at the New Year’s Mass event in Sierra Leone. Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray, who attempted to run for president, later claimed Leijdekkers pays off top-ranking officials while maintaining a relationship with President Julius Maada Bio’s daughter.
Sierra Leone’s information ministry stated that Bio “attended numerous family events during the festive season” and “has no knowledge about the identity and the issues detailed in the reports about the individual in question”. Dutch police have described Leijdekkers as a “key player in international cocaine trafficking”. The authorities have issued an arrest warrant for his involvement in a planned nine-ton cocaine theft at the Antwerp customs office.
Authorities in the Netherlands were aware of Leijdekkers’ Sierra Leone presence since at least the six-month mark. Three sources who have direct knowledge of the situation have verified the reports showing Leijdekkers secured sanctuary with high-level defence from Sierra Leone.
“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,”
Said Dutch prosecutors’ office spokesman Wim de Bruin. Furthermore, he is thought to be involved in the disappearance and murder of drug crime linchpin Naima Jilal.
Why is Sierra Leone significant in this case?
Cocaine trafficking between Latin America and Europe frequently passes through Sierra Leone, which functions as an essential transit location. The Dutch government intends to submit a formal extradition request concerning Leijdekkers to the Sierra Leonean government.
The Sierra Leonean Police force showed readiness to assist with Dutch governmental and Interpol investigations involving international law enforcement agencies in this case. The police in Sierra Leone have identified the man in the video as ‘Umar Sheriff’, a Norwegian-Turkish businessman and probably a pseudonym for Leijdekkers and are calling on the public to assist with the investigation.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) William Fayia Sellu stated,
“The picture that has been circulating on social media as Jos Leijdekkers—we have been able to, through our Open Source Investigation Unit, affix a name to that face, which is Umar Sheriff“.
Law enforcement officials have executed multiple search-and-arrest operations in pursuit of the Sheriff, yet every attempt to arrest him has proven unsuccessful. According to William Sellu, the Sierra Leonean authorities maintain no record of Umar Sheriff’s entry into the country’s official system.
