Bolle Jos: why the hunt for Jos Leijdekkers remains an international case
Finding Jos Leijdekkers, known as Bolle Jos, involves more than locating him. An Omroep Brabant background report dated 23 October examines efforts to bring him from Sierra Leone before Dutch justice.
In January 2025 police and prosecutors said they knew he was in Sierra Leone. Rotterdam sentenced him to 24 years in June 2024 for large-scale cocaine smuggling and ordering a killing. He was also convicted in Belgium, making the hunt relevant to both countries.
The 23 October background report describes investigation, international cooperation and political pressure. Dutch prosecutors regarded his return as a priority; the reward cited at that time for the decisive tip leading to his arrest was €200,000.
In a letter to the Dutch parliament dated 2 October 2026, Justice Minister David van Weel said the Netherlands had repeatedly requested extradition since February 2025. He reported that the European Commission had suspended payment of €18 million in 2026 budget support to Sierra Leone; the Commission had publicly cited technical reasons. According to the letter, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas discussed cooperation against organised crime and the extradition of Leijdekkers, wanted by the Netherlands and Belgium, with Sierra Leone’s foreign minister in New York on 21 September.
