Dutch authorities say one of Europe’s most wanted men has been living in Sierra Leone for about six months.
On June 25 last year, 33-year-old Jos Leijdekkers was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison by a Rotterdam court for smuggling more than 7 tons of cocaine.
Dutch prosecutor Wim de Bruin said returning the fugitives to the Netherlands was the “highest priority”.
“We are doing everything we can in this regard, but as the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further,” he said.
A spokesman for the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM) said Ledkers had been living in Sierra Leone for about six months.
They said his nickname was Bolle Jos and until recently he was suspected of living in Türkiye.
Sierra Leone authorities have yet to comment on the claims.
Ledecx was discovered in Sierra Leone in January when the wife of the country’s president posted a video on social media of her attending a church service with her husband, Reuters reported.
According to Reuters, Leijdekkers can be seen in the video. The BBC has not been able to confirm the footage.
Dutch police described Ledecx as “one of the key figures in international cocaine trafficking”.
There is a reward of $210,000 (£168,000) for information leading to his arrest. This is reportedly the highest amount ever offered to a Dutch fugitive.
Ledecx is listed as one of the most wanted fugitives by EU law enforcement agency Europol.
West Africa is a major transit point for cocaine trafficking from Latin America.
January 17, Sierra Leone recalls ambassador from neighboring Guinea after seven suitcases containing suspected cocaine were found in an embassy vehicle.
Guinean authorities have seized a vehicle belonging to the Sierra Leone embassy and detained its occupants on suspicion of possessing “substances suspected of being cocaine,” Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Alhaji Moussa Timothy Kabbah said.
He added: “In view of the serious development of the situation, the government has urgently recalled Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Guinea, Mr Alimami Bangura, to Freetown to provide a full account of the incident.”
The minister said the recalled envoy was not in the vehicle at the time and had not been arrested.
“The ambassador’s involvement in this trafficking has not been proven,” he added.
