In a shocking twist in the ongoing fight against organized crime, Jos Leijdekkers, a notorious figure in the European cocaine trade, continues to enjoy his freedom in Sierra Leone, despite being one of the continent’s most wanted criminals. With a staggering €200,000 bounty on his head and a total of 49 years in prison, Leijdekkers is still at large, mingling with officials and living a luxurious lifestyle in Sierra Leone. At only 33 years old, Leijdekkers has established a criminal empire that has earned him the title of “King of the Quays” in Antwerp. His operations are linked to the notorious Ridouan Taghi, Europe’s most feared mafia boss, who is serving a life sentence in a Dutch prison. Leijdekkers has been convicted in absentia three times, the most recent in June, when a Rotterdam court sentenced him to 24 years in prison for large-scale cocaine trafficking. Despite these serious charges, he appears to be doing well, with a personal fortune estimated at around €1 billion.
Investigators have tracked Leijdekkers’ movements via social media, including images posted on Sierra Leone’s First Lady’s Facebook page, Fatima Jabbie-Bio, that show him attending public events alongside high-ranking officials. His brazen appearances at a church service with President Julius Maada Bio and an exclusive nightclub have raised eyebrows, highlighting his apparent ease in navigating Sierra Leone’s elite circles.
Leijdekkers’ ties to Sierra Leone have come under scrutiny, particularly after he was seen handing out gifts at a birthday party for Alusine Kanneh, the country’s top immigration official, who has since been fired. Despite evidence of his presence in Sierra Leone for at least two years, local authorities say they can not find him, sparking public outrage and accusations that the state has been compromised by foreign criminals.
Leijdekkers’ activities have reinforced Sierra Leone’s reputation as a major player in the international cocaine trade. The country’s strategic geographical location, combined with poor governance and porous borders, has made it an appealing destination for drug traffickers.
According to Lucia Bird, director of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime’s West Africa Observatory of Illicit Economies, West Africa’s role in the cocaine trade has grown significantly since 2019, as direct routes from Latin America to Europe have been scrutinized more.
Bird observes that European crime networks, particularly those from the Netherlands, Spain, and the western Balkans, have expanded their operations in West Africa. These networks act as brokers, overseeing logistics for cocaine shipments arriving from South America, which are then stored, sorted, and repackaged for distribution to Europe and beyond. The situation has resulted in a significant increase in previously rare multi-tonne cocaine seizures. In 2022, the UK’s National Crime Agency intercepted 1.3 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a flour shipment from Freetown, worth £140 million. Similarly, Belgian authorities discovered six tonnes of cocaine entering their ports last year, which were traced back to Sierra Leone.
Leijdekkers’ brazen lifestyle and high-profile appearances are likely to increase scrutiny of shipments from West Africa, potentially straining Sierra Leone’s relations with its international partners and discouraging foreign investment. His activities have sparked concern among law enforcement agencies in Belgium and the Netherlands, where he is wanted on charges of murder and drug trafficking. The Dutch Justice Minister has contacted his Sierra Leonean counterpart, requesting assistance in facilitating Leijdekkers’ extradition, but the absence of an extradition treaty complicates matters.
Jos Leijdekkers’ criminal legacy is firmly rooted in violence and brutality. He is the son of a feared gangster and brothel-keeper in Breda, known to Latin American drug cartels as “El Presidente” or “El Ganado,” which translates to “The Victor.” Leijdekkers has been directly linked to heinous acts of violence, including the murder of Naima Jillal, a woman whose tortured and naked body served as a chilling warning throughout the criminal underworld. He has also been linked to several high-profile killings that have rocked the Netherlands.
Following his continued freedom, one of Belgium’s largest drug trials in history began in Tongeren, involving five gang bosses, including alleged Leijdekkers lieutenants. They face charges for running a well-organized criminal organization capable of regularly shipping large amounts of cocaine from South America to Belgium. The trial has implicated 49 people, revealing a complex web of connections between Leijdekkers, the Taghi gang, and the Italian mafia, with illegal assets valued at €3.5 billion.
The accused include Willy Van Mechelen, an 81-year-old former police officer, Tom Bastiaanse, also known as “Escobar,” Nathan Steveniers, Lucio Aquino, and Geert Frisson, all of whom have notorious backgrounds. Their vast criminal organization has been linked to money laundering through real estate, particularly in Spain and Dubai, allowing them to fund an extravagant lifestyle that includes luxury cars and expensive watches.
As the trial progresses, the consequences of Leijdekkers’ defiance in West Africa are likely to reverberate far beyond Sierra Leone’s borders. His ability to evade capture while still orchestrating drug trafficking operations exemplifies the difficulties law enforcement faces in combating transnational organized crime. The growing involvement of European criminal networks in West Africa emphasizes the importance of international cooperation and a coordinated effort to dismantle these illicit operations before they destabilize the region and beyond.
