Freetown, 14th July 2025** — A court in the Netherlands has confiscated a staggering $112 million (approximately €96 million) in criminal proceeds from Jos Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted drug traffickers, who Dutch authorities believe is currently hiding in Sierra Leone.
Leijdekkers, widely known by his nicknames “Bolle Jos” or “Chubby Jos,” was not present in court and had no legal representation during Monday’s hearing in Rotterdam.
The court ruled in absentia that he must surrender the illicit assets, largely amassed through cocaine trafficking and controversial gold purchases.
“With today’s ruling, the court has determined how much money L. (Leijdekkers) earned through criminal activities,” the judgment stated. The court confirmed that while Leijdekkers illegally acquired nearly 127 million euros, he must now repay 96 million euros to the Dutch state.
Although prosecutors had originally sought a record 221 million euros in asset seizures, the court reduced the figure after throwing out several unproven claims related to luxury goods and applying stricter legal standards.
Investigators allege that within the space of a year, Leijdekkers pocketed 114 million euros from 14 cocaine shipments and spent 47 million euros on nearly a ton of gold in less than six months, according to intercepted communications.
Last year, the same court sentenced Leijdekkers to 24 years in prison for his involvement in a murder plot and organising large-scale drug shipments. He remains one of Europol’s most wanted criminals, with a €200,000 bounty placed on his head for information leading to his arrest.
Dutch authorities in January claimed with “absolute certainty” that Leijdekkers is now living in Sierra Leone. This allegation has sparked controversy and raised questions about the fugitive’s ties to the country’s political elite.
Photos and videos circulating online appear to show Leijdekkers attending a religious ceremony alongside President Julius Maada Bio and his wife, First Lady Fatima Bio. Opposition voices in exile, including Mohamed Mansaray, have accused the Bio administration of “harbouring” the drug lord.
Further fueling suspicion, Leijdekkers is rumoured to be in a relationship with President Bio’s daughter, Agnes Bio, who has been seen publicly accompanying the fugitive in some of the circulated images.
Neither the Office of the President nor Sierra Leone’s security agencies have formally responded to these serious allegations.
The developments come at a time when Sierra Leone is under increasing scrutiny over issues of governance, transparency, and its role in the global fight against organised crime.
