Dutch prosecutors seek record $250 million from fugitive drug lord believed to be hiding over 4,000 miles away

June 3, 2025
3,034 Views

Dutch prosecutors said Monday they were seeking to confiscate a record $253 million from one of Europe’s most notorious drug lords, thought to be hiding in Sierra Leone.

The illegal assets amassed by Jos Leijdekkers, also known as “Bolle Jos” or “Chubby Jos,” were proceeds from cocaine trafficking, as well as purchases of gold and luxury items, the public prosecutors said.

Leijdekkers is thought to have made 114 million euros from 14 cocaine shipments over less than a year.

According to intercepted communications, the 33-year-old also spent 47 million euros on 975 kilograms of gold over less than six months.

The kingpin additionally bought real estate including a hotel in Turkey and apartments in Dubai, the prosecutors alleged.

Luxury goods including two Bentley cars, designer bags, jewellery and watches, were also added to the total of illicit assets, bringing the total to $253 million.

“This is… only a first step towards tracing Leijdekkers’ assets,” the prosecutors said.

Convicted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers attends a church service in Tihun

Convicted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers attends a church service in Tihun, Sierra Leone, January 1, 2025, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.  

First Lady Fatima Maada Bio via Facebook/via REUTERS


A Rotterdam court last June sentenced Leijdekkers in absentia to 24 years in prison for ordering a murder and organizing cocaine shipments.

He is on Europol’s most-wanted list, with the European police body offering over $225,000 for information leading to his arrest.

“Leijdekkers is considered to be one of the key players in international cocaine trafficking,” according to Europol.

In January, Dutch authorities said they were “absolutely certain” he was hiding out in Sierra Leone. The BBC reported that Dutch prosecutor Wim de Bruin said the fugitive’s return to the Netherlands was of “the highest priority.”

Images apparently showing Leijdekkers in the company of officials as high as President Julius Maada Bio have sparked speculation the cocaine lord has cozied up to Sierra Leone’s political class — including the president’s daughter.

Suspicions he was in Sierra Leone arose after the country’s First Lady Fatima Bio posted pictures and a video on social media that showed a man strongly resembling Leijdekkers at a religious service, also attended by President Bio.

Exiled Sierra Leone opposition figure Mohamed Mansaray has accused Bio and his government of “offering refuge” to the drug lord.

According to Mansaray, Leijdekkers has coupled up with the president’s daughter Agnes Bio, who is seen accompanying the drug lord in the images.

Leijdekkers is also believed to be involved in the disappearance and death of Naima Jillal, a woman who went missing in 2019 after she got into a car in Amsterdam, according to Europol. Intercepted messages allegedly showed that Leijdekkers “played an important role in Jillal’s disappearance,” the agency said.

“For a long time, there was no trace of Naima Jillal, until photos of a woman believed to be her were found on a phone seized in the Marengo investigation,” Europol said. “The photos show that she was most likely tortured and is probably no longer alive.”

Source link

You may be interested

A guide to the best sci-fi streaming this summer
Technology
shares2,564 views
Technology
shares2,564 views

A guide to the best sci-fi streaming this summer

new admin - Jul 03, 2025

It’s that time again: for a third year running, the summer is looking pretty great for streaming some science fiction.…

Never throw away empty gin bottles as it could make you rich
Lifestyle
shares3,763 views
Lifestyle
shares3,763 views

Never throw away empty gin bottles as it could make you rich

new admin - Jul 03, 2025

Many of us love flogging our unwanted items online.If your clothes are spilling out of your wardrobe, your children have…

U.S. contractors tell the AP that their colleagues are shooting at Palestinians seeking food in Gaza
World
shares2,756 views
World
shares2,756 views

U.S. contractors tell the AP that their colleagues are shooting at Palestinians seeking food in Gaza

new admin - Jul 03, 2025

BEERSHEBA, Israel — American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry…