Netherlands’ Minister Set to Visit Sierra Leone for Extradition of Wanted Cocaine Kingpin Jos Leijdekkers

The Netherlands’ caretaker Minister of Justice, Foort van Oosten, will soon travel to Sierra Leone to personally pressure the West African nation for the extradition of convicted drug kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, widely known as “Bolle Jos.”

The announcement comes amid growing frustration from Dutch authorities, who have accused the Sierra Leonean government of a lack of cooperation. Despite a formal extradition request, Sierra Leone has not yet handed over Leijdekkers, whom the Netherlands has known was in the country since the beginning of the year.

“This man belongs behind bars,” Minister van Oosten stated, confirming that recent intelligence indicates the fugitive remains in Sierra Leone. During his upcoming visit, van Oosten said he intends to “request specific attention for this issue” and pressure Sierra Leone and neighboring countries to cooperate in the arrest. The exact date of the trip has not been announced.

The case is mired in complexity due to a significant discrepancy over the suspect’s identity. While Dutch authorities insist the individual is Jos Leijdekkers, a 34-year-old Dutch national sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison for importing thousands of kilos of cocaine, Sierra Leonean officials have publicly referred to him as Umarr Sheriff.

Sierra Leone’s Presidential Spokesman, Alpha Kanu, has previously stated that police records identify the man as Umarr Sheriff and that an investigation is underway to confirm his true identity. “The Dutch said it’s Jos Leijdekkers, we don’t know that,” Kanu said in a recent interview.

The extradition process has been further complicated by the fugitive’s alleged high-level connections within Sierra Leone. Leijdekkers was spotted earlier this year attending a public event near President Julius Maada Bio. Opposition figures and international reports have alleged he has a child with the president’s daughter and is receiving protection from the family—claims that have not been officially verified but have heightened scrutiny of the case.

Sierra Leone’s Attorney General, Alpha Sesay, has confirmed that his office has completed a preliminary review of the Dutch extradition documents. However, he stated that his department is awaiting the conclusion of a police investigation before it can trigger the next legal steps under Sierra Leone’s 1974 Extradition Act.

The international dimension of the case was underscored earlier this month when Abdullah “Don Vito” Alp Üstün, alleged to be Leijdekkers’ brother-in-law, was extradited from Dubai to Turkey. Üstün was reportedly in possession of a Sierra Leonean diplomatic passport, raising further questions about the potential misuse of the country’s official documents.

With Minister van Oosten’s impending visit, the diplomatic pressure on Sierra Leone to resolve the identity dispute and proceed with the extradition is set to intensify significantly.