Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf has reported that authorities in the Netherlands prepared at least two covert operations aimed at capturing fugitive cocaine trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, widely known as “Bolle Jos,” during his reported stay in Sierra Leone.
The newspaper, citing unnamed investigative and security sources, alleged that Dutch police, prosecutors and special operations personnel came close to intercepting Leijdekkers near Sierra Leone’s coastline before both missions were aborted at the last minute for undisclosed reasons.
The claims have not been independently verified, and neither the Dutch government nor Sierra Leonean authorities have officially confirmed the alleged operations.
Leijdekkers, 34, is one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives and has become the subject of mounting diplomatic pressure between the Netherlands and Sierra Leone after Dutch investigators publicly stated they believed he had been residing in the West African country.
According to De Telegraaf, Dutch intelligence services monitored Leijdekkers’ movements within Sierra Leone and tracked alleged travel routes involving neighboring Liberia. The newspaper reported that Dutch special units trained for a possible maritime interception operation involving covert deployment at sea.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service, known as the OM, has declined to comment publicly on operational details but maintains that Leijdekkers remains a priority target for international law enforcement.
The reports add to growing international scrutiny surrounding Sierra Leone’s alleged role in transnational cocaine trafficking routes connecting Latin America, West Africa and Europe.
Dutch and Belgian prosecutors have linked Leijdekkers to several major cocaine trafficking operations through the Port of Antwerp. This week, Belgian courts sentenced members of a network associated with him over an 11-ton cocaine shipment allegedly concealed in palm kernel cargo transported from Sierra Leone.
Leijdekkers has already been sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands to lengthy prison terms for cocaine trafficking and related crimes.
The case has also generated political controversy in Sierra Leone following European media allegations that the fugitive enjoyed protection from influential figures inside the country. President Julius Maada Bio has publicly denied knowing Leijdekkers, while Sierra Leonean authorities previously stated investigations into his whereabouts were ongoing.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel recently confirmed that Dutch authorities had engaged Sierra Leone diplomatically over efforts to secure Leijdekkers’ arrest or extradition, though the absence of an extradition treaty between the two countries has complicated the process. By
Despite increasing international attention and repeated media reports placing him in Sierra Leone, Leijdekkers remains at large.
