Post a comment 
A Dutch media investigation has disclosed that authorities in the Netherlands came close on two separate occasions to arrest alleged international cocaine trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, popularly known as “Bolle Jos,” during covert operations linked to Sierra Leone.
According to reports published by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, elite Dutch security units, working alongside prosecutors and intelligence officials, had developed plans to intercept the 34-year-old fugitive during movements along the Sierra Leonean coastline and nearby regional waters. The operations, however, were reportedly aborted at the final stage due to undisclosed circumstances.
The report stated that Dutch intelligence agencies had been monitoring Leijdekkers’ activities in Sierra Leone since 2025, including alleged movements by convoy and occasional sea crossings toward neighboring Liberia. The suspected drug trafficker has remained one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives due to his alleged involvement in large-scale cocaine trafficking networks.
Dutch authorities are said to have intensified diplomatic engagement with Sierra Leone over the matter, with senior government officials from the Netherlands reportedly making direct visits and holding discussions aimed at securing cooperation for the operation. The newspaper claimed that approval for the mission was eventually granted following changes within Sierra Leone’s government.
The covert operation reportedly involved specially trained Dutch military personnel who prepared for a maritime interception strategy. According to the publication, the team intended to use a privately owned foreign vessel as a disguised operational base to apprehend the suspect while at sea.
Leijdekkers has previously been sentenced in both the Netherlands and Belgium in connection with major international drug trafficking offenses. He has also been linked by European investigators to a massive cocaine shipment reportedly associated with a vessel departing from Sierra Leone.
Despite the failed attempts, Dutch prosecutors reportedly continue to regard the suspect as a high-priority target in ongoing international anti-narcotics operation
