Dutch Justice Minister Van Weel Pushes West African Coalition Against Fugitive “Bolle Jos”

Accra/Freetown, 23^rd July, 2026 — Dutch justice minister David van Weel has stepped up efforts to rally West African governments against Sierra Leone’s ‘protection’ of Europe’s most wanted drugs kingpin, Jos “Bolle Jos” Leijdekkers.

Speaking after high-level talks in Ghana, Van Weel told Dutch daily De Telegraaf that the Netherlands is working to build a regional coalition including Liberia and Ghana to pressure Sierra Leone into handing over the fugitive. “We are not ruling out any option,” he warned, hinting at undisclosed measures.

Plans are also underway to establish a permanent West African secretariat to coordinate the fight against drug smuggling networks.

Sierra Leone’s justice minister, Alpha Sesay, attended the Ghana talks uninvited and later wrote to Van Weel proposing cooperation. The Dutch minister described this as a sign that Freetown is “feeling the pressure,” though he noted more willingness to talk than to act.

Leijdekkers, 34, has been sentenced in absentia to a combined 80 years in prison in the Netherlands and Belgium for large-scale cocaine trafficking and ordering a murder. He has also been ordered to repay €96 million to the Dutch state. Intelligence reports suggest he is living under presidential protection in Sierra Leone, where he allegedly fathered a child with the daughter of President Julius Maada Bio. His network has been linked to a record-breaking cocaine seizure off the Canary Islands in May.

The Dutch government has repeatedly failed to secure his capture. Special forces narrowly missed him twice at sea, and a push to cut EU development aid to Sierra Leone has not gained traction among member states. Meanwhile, prosecutors have targeted his family: his brother was extradited from Turkey in June on money laundering charges.

Van Weel’s regional push marks a new phase in Europe’s pursuit of Leijdekkers, whose operations stretch across continents. Whether Sierra Leone will bow to mounting pressure remains uncertain, but the Dutch minister insists the coalition is determined to close in on “Bolle Jos.”