Drug lord Jos Leijdekkers finds refuge in Sierra Leone after marrying president’s daughter
The convicted cocaine smuggler, one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives, enjoys high-level protection in the West African nation
One of Europe’s most wanted fugitives, convicted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers, has found refuge and high-level protection in Sierra Leone, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the matter as well as photos and video footage seen by Reuters.
The images and accounts shed fresh light on the role of the West African nation, which international law enforcement officials said is a transshipment point for large volumes of Latin American cocaine headed to Europe.
Leijdekkers, who is Dutch, was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison on June 25, 2024 by a Rotterdam court for smuggling more than 7 tonnes of cocaine. Dutch police have said he was believed to be living in Turkey until recently.
A spokesperson for the Dutch prosecutors’ office said on Friday in response to questions about his whereabouts that he has been living in Sierra Leone for at least six months. Two of the sources with knowledge of the situation said Leijdekkers had been in Sierra Leone since at least early 2023.
“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,” Dutch prosecutors’ office spokesman Wim de Bruin said, declining further comment.
Reuters was not able to reach Leijdekkers. The Dutch judges who convicted him noted in their ruling that he did not mandate a lawyer to put forward a defence on his behalf in court. Guy Weski, the lawyer who last represented Leijdekkers in the Netherlands, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Videos and photos of a church mass in Sierra Leone on January 1 show Leijdekkers, 33, sitting two rows behind Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, next to a woman.
