Most Wanted Dutch Cocaine Kingpin Finds Refuge in Sierra Leone After Marrying President Bio’s Daughter

Freetown, Sierra Leone – Jos Leijdekkers, a 33-year-old Dutch national and one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives, has reportedly been residing in Sierra Leone under high-level protection for at least six months, according to sources and visual evidence obtained by Reuters.

Leijdekkers, known by the alias “Bolle Jos,” was convicted in absentia by a Rotterdam court on June 25, 2024, and sentenced to 24 years in prison for smuggling over seven tonnes of cocaine. Initially believed to be hiding in Turkey, recent findings indicate his presence in the West African nation.

Visual evidence from a January 1, 2025, church service in Tihun, southern Sierra Leone, shows Leijdekkers seated two rows behind President Julius Maada Bio, accompanied by a woman identified by sources as the president’s daughter, Agnes Bio. The nature of their relationship remains unconfirmed.

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service has acknowledged Leijdekkers’ presence in Sierra Leone and emphasized their commitment to securing his return to the Netherlands to serve his sentence.

Spokesperson Wim de Bruin stated, “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.”

Leijdekkers is listed on Europol’s most wanted list for his significant role in international cocaine trafficking and is suspected of laundering tens of millions of euros and hundreds of kilograms of gold. Dutch authorities have offered a €200,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, the highest ever for a Dutch fugitive.

Over the past two decades, West Africa has become a major transit point for large volumes of cocaine being smuggled from Latin America to Europe, with several significant seizures recorded.

Sierra Leonean officials have not yet commented on these developments.