The Dutch government has intensified pressure on Sierra Leone to extradite convicted cocaine kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, known as “Bolle Jos,” with the Netherlands’ Minister of Justice and Security warning that his patience is “beginning to run out” after more than a year of stalled negotiations.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Dutch Minister David van Weel confirmed that he had just spoken with Sierra Leone’s Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, about Leijdekkers, who has been sentenced in absentia to 24 years in a Dutch prison for smuggling over seven tonnes of cocaine and ordering a murder.

“Meanwhile, we’ve already been working for over a year to get L. extradited, so he can serve his sentence and we can stop his global drug trade. Time for more urgency. We never give up!” Van Weel wrote.

The minister traveled to Geneva specifically to meet Sesay, who was attending a United Nations Human Rights Council session. In a telephone interview with Dutch news outlet ANP, Van Weel described the meeting as “quite intense” — the third time the two ministers have discussed the case.

Related News

“I made it clear that my patience is slowly starting to run out in this process,” the Dutch minister said. He added that he had stressed how sheltering Leijdekkers damages Sierra Leone’s international reputation.

The Netherlands submitted an extradition request for Leijdekkers in February 2025. At the time, Sierra Leone’s information minister confirmed receipt of the request but noted that the two countries do not share an extradition treaty. The government said then that the attorney general needed time to examine the documents and that any extradition would require a court ruling.

More than a year later, Leijdekkers remains at large and is believed to still be residing in Sierra Leone. He is reportedly engaged to the daughter of President Julius Maada Bio and has fathered a child with her, according to multiple media reports. The Sierra Leonean government has previously stated that the president was not aware of Leijdekkers’ identity or the allegations against him.

Leijdekkers, originally from Breda, is one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives and is listed on the European Union’s most-wanted criminal list  In addition to his 24-year sentence in the Netherlands, he has been convicted in absentia in Belgium to a combined 57 years in prison for large-scale cocaine trafficking through the port of Antwerp  Belgian authorities have also ordered more than 236 million euros of his criminal assets forfeited.

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service has separately sought to recover 221 million euros in criminal proceeds from Leijdekkers, based on evidence of 14 drug transports totalling 14,000 kilograms of cocaine in less than a year, as well as the purchase of 975 kilograms of gold worth over 47 million euros and luxury assets including Rolex watches and Bentleys.

The renewed diplomatic push comes just weeks after Spanish police seized an estimated 30 to 40 tonnes of cocaine — one of the largest such hauls on record — from a vessel that had departed from Freetown . The MV Arconian, a 91-meter cargo vessel registered in Comoros, was intercepted by Spain’s Guardia Civil on May 1 off the coast of Western Sahara. All 23 crew members were arrested .

Spanish authorities reportedly linked the shipment to Leijdekkers. When asked about the connection, Van Weel told Dutch media: “I don’t need to draw conclusions, but they are obvious”.

Leijdekkers’ lawyer, Guy Weski, has dismissed reports linking his client to the seizure as “rumours,” stating: “It’s very much beginning to look as if every crime that’s committed on the African continent or in its waters is associated with my client”.

Presidential Spokesman Alpha Khan confirmed this week that discussions are ongoing between the Attorney General’s Office and the Dutch government regarding the extradition request. According to Khan, President Bio has instructed the Office of National Security to intensify investigations and “get to the bottom of the issue and nip it in the bud” [government statement].

Khan stated that both governments are working within established legal frameworks, with Sierra Leone committed to meeting its international responsibilities while ensuring due process and human rights considerations are fully respected.

Meanwhile, Dutch authorities continue to pursue every diplomatic channel. Van Weel told ANP that he is also applying pressure through an eight-country European coalition against organised crime and has previously raised the case with then-U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio .

“We never give up,” the Dutch minister reiterated.