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A Dutch court has confiscated $112 million in illicit profits from one of Europe’s most wanted drug kingpins, Jos Leijdekkers, who is believed to be evading capture in Sierra Leone.
The Rotterdam District Court ruled on Monday that Leijdekkers, nicknamed “Bolle Jos” (Chubby Jos), must forfeit nearly 96 million euros ($112 million) from cocaine trafficking and gold purchases, while dismissing unproven claims about luxury assets.
Prosecutors had sought a record $250 million but the court reduced the amount, citing insufficient evidence for some claims.
Leijdekkers, 34, was sentenced in absentia last year to 24 years for orchestrating cocaine shipments and ordering a murder. He remains on Europol’s Most Wanted List, with a $225,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Dutch authorities say they are “absolutely certain” he is hiding in Sierra Leone. Speculation intensified after First Lady Fatima Bio posted photos and a video from a January church service showing a man resembling Leijdekkers standing near President Julius Maada Bio.
Exiled opposition figure Mohamed Mansaray has accused the Bio administration of “harboring” the drug lord, claiming Leijdekkers has ties to the president’s daughter, Agnes Bio, who appears alongside him in some images.
Europol also links Leijdekkers to the 2019 disappearance of Naima Jillal, a woman last seen entering a car in Amsterdam. Intercepted messages allegedly place him at the center of her case.
Dutch prosecutor Wim de Bruin has called Leijdekkers’ capture a “top priority,” but Sierra Leonean authorities have yet to confirm his presence in the country.
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