French Customs Seizes Multi‑Ton Cocaine Cargo Linked to Dutch Kingpin ‘Bolle Jos’

Freetown,8^th September, 2026 – French customs officers have intercepted a multi‑ton shipment of cocaine worth tens of millions of euros, reportedly tied to fugitive Dutch drug kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, also known as “Bolle Jos.” According to NL Times, the seizure was made late Sunday aboard a cargo vessel travelling from Ghana to Antwerp, with part of the consignment allegedly destined for a business address in Dordrecht.

Authorities confirmed the vessel was inspected at Dunkirk following targeted intelligence reports, rather than routine checks. The interception adds to a growing list of major cocaine seizures in France in recent weeks, several of which have direct links to Dutch traffickers.

Leijdekkers, who is allegedly hiding in Sierra Leone, remains one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives. He has already been sentenced in absentia by the Rotterdam District Court to 24 years in prison for coordinating six cocaine shipments totalling nearly 7,000 kilograms. Dutch police and Europol continue to offer a €200,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

French authorities have reported multiple high‑value cocaine busts in the past two months: 347 kilograms seized on September 3 from a Dutch driver in the Drôme region, with an estimated street value of €13 million. 165 kilograms discovered on July 17 in Dijon hidden inside a truck’s air conditioning system.

231 kilograms seized on August 27 in Dijon, concealed in a ventilation compartment of a Dutch‑plated truck, valued at nearly €6.8 million. Nearly 1 ton intercepted in the Pyrénées‑Orientales during a convoy raid, where officers were injured after a suspect rammed a police car. 109 kilograms found on August 17 in Bourges inside a refrigerated truck compartment. 243 kilograms seized less than ten days earlier in the same region.

Investigators say the seizures underscore the scale and sophistication of trafficking networks operating across Europe, with Dutch criminal organizations playing a central role. The latest Dunkirk interception, tied to Leijdekkers’s syndicate, highlights the continuing challenge for European authorities in curbing the flow of narcotics through major shipping routes.