Dutch police offer record €2m reward in hunt for drug lord
Dutch authorities have offered a record award of €2m (£1.7m/$2.24m) for information leading to the arrest of Jos Leijdekkers, one of Europe's most-wanted men.
Dutch authorities have offered a record award of €2m (£1.7m/$2.24m) for information leading to the arrest of Jos Leijdekkers, one of Europe's most-wanted men.
Article outline
- What happened
- Official response
- The key numbers
- The details
- The bottom line
Key points
- In January 2025, Dutch police remarked he was believed to be living in Sierra Leone and going by the name Omar Sherrif.
- Images apparently showing Leijdekkers in the firm of President Julius Maada Bio and other office-holders have previously emerged.
- In 2024, a court in Rotterdam sentenced Leijdekkers in absentia to 24 years in prison after finding him guilty of smuggling more than seven metric tons of cocaine.
- West Africa is a major transit point for cocaine trafficking from Latin America.
- Dutch prosecutors have demanded his extradition but Sierra Leone has refused to cooperate, prompting the EU to cut some aid to the country.
In practice, the 35-year-old, who is additionally known as Bolle Jos (Chubby Jos), was previously accused of being "one of the key players in international cocaine trafficking" by Dutch police.
Commenting on the decision to growth the reward ten-fold, Dutch justice minister David van Weel stated it was "necessary given the threat that Leijdekkers poses to national security, our democratic rule of law, and the international legal order".
Dutch prosecutors remarked capturing Leijdekkers was their "highest priority" and any information shared would be kept secret.
As among their most-wanted fugitives, he is listed by Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency.
In 2024, a court in Rotterdam sentenced Leijdekkers in absentia to 24 years in prison after finding him guilty of smuggling more than seven metric tons of cocaine. A number of other police investigations in the Netherlands are ongoing.
Leijdekkers has additionally been sentenced to 79 years in prison in Belgium.
Dutch authorities estimate he has created tens of millions of euros from cocaine smuggling, and accuse him of capital laundering and involvement in the employ of extreme violence.
Taken together, the developments around dutch police offer record €2m reward in hunt for drug lord point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.
