Dutch Authorities Offer Record Reward for Capture of Jos Leijdekkers

Updated on: November 2, 2026 / 7:32 AM EST

Dutch authorities have announced a historic reward of 2 million euros ($2.2 million) for tips leading to the arrest of Jos Leijdekkers, a notorious drug trafficker presumed to be hiding in Sierra Leone. Known as “Bolle Jos” or “Chubby Jos,” Leijdekkers is one of Europe’s most-wanted criminals.

In a significant move, Dutch prosecutors have multiplied the reward tenfold, emphasizing his capture as the highest priority for both the Public Prosecution Service and the police. Leijdekkers plays a vital role in the international cocaine trade.

Leijdekkers was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison by a Rotterdam court in 2024. His crimes include facilitating drug shipments totaling nearly 7,000 kilos of cocaine, committing armed robbery, and ordering an assassination. Additionally, Belgium has sentenced him to 79 years in prison.

The Dutch police believe they have traced the 35-year-old fugitive to Sierra Leone, stressing that any shared information will remain confidential.

“For a long time, there was no trace of Naima Jillal, until photos of a woman believed to be her were found on a phone seized in the Marengo investigation,” Europol said. “The photos show that she was most likely tortured and is probably no longer alive.”

Links to Sierra Leone

In January 2025, Dutch authorities expressed certainty about Leijdekkers’ presence in Sierra Leone. Reports indicated that Dutch prosecutor Wim de Bruin noted the fugitive’s return to the Netherlands as imperative.

Speculation has heightened with images supposedly showing Leijdekkers mingling with officials, including President Julius Maada Bio. Dutch authorities suspect he has cultivated relationships with Sierra Leone’s political elite.

The suspicions were ignited by social media posts from the country’s first lady, Fatima Bio, showcasing a man resembling Leijdekkers at a religious gathering attended by President Bio.

Beyond drug trafficking, Leijdekkers is implicated in the disappearance and presumed death of Naima Jillal, who went missing in 2019 in Amsterdam. Intercepted communications suggest he played a major part in Jillal’s disappearance, according to Europol. Evidence indicates she was likely tortured and is believed dead.