In a recent development, it has come to light that Jos Leijdekkers, a convicted cocaine smuggler from the Netherlands, has sought refuge and received high-level protection in Sierra Leone, a West African country known as a transshipment point for cocaine heading to Europe. Leijdekkers, who was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison in Rotterdam for smuggling over 7 tonnes of cocaine, has reportedly been residing in Sierra Leone for at least six months, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The Dutch authorities are actively pursuing his extradition, with a spokesman for the Dutch prosecutors expressing the utmost priority to bring him back to serve his sentence in the Netherlands. Despite efforts to contact Leijdekkers for his comment, he could not be reached, and his former attorney in the Netherlands did not respond to requests for input.
Evidence including videos and photos from a church service in Sierra Leone in 2025 show Leijdekkers, 33, seated behind Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio, alongside a woman believed to be Agnes Bio, the President's daughter, whom sources claim to be married to Leijdekkers. However, the relationship between Agnes Bio and Leijdekkers could not be independently verified.
These sources also indicate that Leijdekkers enjoys significant protection in Sierra Leone, where he reportedly spends a considerable amount of time. The Dutch police have labeled him as a significant figure in international cocaine trafficking, with suspicions of large-scale money laundering. Nevertheless, there is no independent verification of these allegations.
Leijdekkers' presence in Sierra Leone underscores the country's role as a transit point for drug trafficking from Latin America to Europe, as evidenced by previous seizures and criminal activities in the region. Despite uncertainties surrounding Leijdekkers' exact involvement in specific drug smuggling activities, Dutch authorities have issued a record 200,000-euro ($210,000) reward for any leads leading to his apprehension.