An extensive investigation into the movements of Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers — also known by the nicknames “Bolle Jos” and “Omar Sheriff” — alleges that the suspect has been operating between Bunce Island and York village on the Peninsula, about 25 miles from Freetown.
According to the investigation, Leijdekkers uses luxury speed boats to transport goods between the Rokel River and Port Loko Creek. According to the investigation, a massive warehouse in York village is being used as a cocaine processing facility. According to sources involved in the investigation, the facility is staffed by a mix of local and foreign workers who appear primarily at night. Neighbours and former employees interviewed described a pattern of intense nocturnal activity: luxury speed boats arriving after dark, white foreigners disembarking and being escorted into the warehouse, and stringent controls designed to keep operations hidden from the public eye.
One resident, who agreed to speak anonymously, claimed he was once hired to unload a large shipment of opaque plastic containers and was unable to determine what was inside. He claimed he was paid NLe3,000, or $126, “after the task was completed,” by a Sierra Leonean who drove a black SUV to the warehouse regularly. A former employee at the facility described an environment in which workers were not permitted to bring phones or other electronic devices inside.
He described the location as heavily guarded, with military and armed police personnel present. “There were white men who came by speedboat with military men,” the ex-worker said. “We used to see this man known as Omar Sheriff by the media; we knew him as the ‘big boss’. When he visited, he would give us money. But once his image appeared in the news, he stopped coming.”
The former employee also claimed that after Leijdekkers’ name and image appeared in media reports, many of the workers who had been handling consignments from the speed boats to the warehouse were let go. “We were all fired earlier this year,” he informed me. “Now we still see speed boats late at night, but we’re not allowed to go near where they dock.”
Leijdekkers has been described as one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives by media outlets, and he has been linked to international cocaine trafficking and other crimes. According to the investigation, he is receiving protection from elements of the Sierra Leone government and is spending increasingly long periods of time on Bunce Island under heavy security. These claims are supported by interviews and on-the-ground reporting conducted for the investigation.
