Harry Leijdekkers (brother of ‘Bolle Jos’) was arrested in Turkey: ‘Will be extradited soon’, while ‘Bolle Jos’ is still at large.
Turkish police have re-arrested his brother, Harry Leijdekkers (49). It is unknown exactly when the older brother of the Netherlands’ most notorious criminal was arrested. However, according to the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, it happened “very recently.” Furthermore, according to the newspaper’s sources, the Breda native will soon be put on a plane from Turkey to the Netherlands, which has reportedly requested his extradition.
At the time of writing, Harry’s lawyer, Guy Weski, does not yet know why his client was arrested by the Turks. “I have not yet received any confirmation of his whereabouts, despite media reports,” Weski told the AD newspaper.
The lawyer further states that, to his knowledge, the case involves money laundering. He also states that he finds it “disproportionate” to extradite Leijdekkers for this, while the other family members have never been incarcerated.” Weski is likely referring to the suspicions against the father, mother, and sister of ‘Bolle Jos’, who, according to the authorities, shared in the luxury that ‘Bolle Jos’ funded with drug money. Harry still has to serve his sentence.
This is not the first time Harry Leijdekkers has been arrested. During a major operation targeting the organisation of his brother ‘Bolle Jos’, several arrests were made in Turkey at the end of 2023. Among those arrested were Harry Leijdekkers and a brother-in-law of ‘Bolle Jos’.
For reasons unknown, all alleged accomplices were suddenly released in July 2024. After the most recent arrest, Harry’s lawyer hints at a suspicion of money laundering against the Brabant native, but at the same time, the older brother of “Bolle Jos” also has an outstanding prison sentence in the Netherlands. In 2018, he was caught with a pistol in his belt in a stolen Audi RS4. The car also contained two firearms and a shopping bag containing a balaclava, taped-up ski goggles, brass knuckles, a stun gun, handcuffs, and other questionable items. It therefore appeared that Harry was on his way to (or had just returned from) a violent crime scene.
Leijdekkers was sentenced to prison in 2019, but fled before the sentencing. He still has 117 days to serve.
Harry’s 33-year-old brother, Jos Leijdekkers, has a more serious criminal record. He is considered one of the most notorious Dutch criminals of the moment and is serving decades of prison sentences in the Netherlands and Belgium, where he was convicted of drug and violent offences.
However, the most wanted man has no intention of serving his sentence and has been on the run from law enforcement for years. Like Harry, he likely spent some time in Turkey but then travelled on to Africa—Sierra Leone, to be precise. We know this because the Algemeen Dagblad and investigative platform Follow The Money recently obtained videos showing Leijdekkers cheerfully in the company of high-ranking government officials, including the president.
He is said to have a close relationship with the leader of the West African country and to have impregnated the president’s daughter.
After the publications in the Netherlands, the police in Sierra Leone announced they had launched a manhunt for the Dutchman, but he likely has half the country in his pocket. The question, therefore, is how serious the search for Jos is.
