Dutch police offer record €2m reward for drug lord Jos Leijdekkers
Authorities have increased the reward ten-fold to capture the 35-year-old man accused of being a key player in international cocaine trafficking.
Dutch authorities have offered a record €2m (£1.7m/$2.24m) reward for information that leads to the arrest of Jos Leijdekkers, according to BBC News.
The 35-year-old, also known as Bolle Jos, is listed by Europol as one of its most-wanted fugitives. Dutch police previously accused him of being a central figure in international cocaine trafficking.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel said increasing the reward was necessary because of the threat Leijdekkers poses to national security, the international legal order, and the democratic rule of law. Prosecutors stated that capturing him is their highest priority and promised that shared information would remain secret.
In 2024, a Rotterdam court found Leijdekkers guilty of trafficking over seven metric tons of cocaine and sentenced him in absentia to 24 years in prison. He has also received a 79-year prison sentence in Belgium.
Dutch authorities estimate he has earned tens of millions of euros from cocaine trafficking and accuse him of money laundering and using extreme violence. In January 2025, police said he was believed to be living in Sierra Leone under the name Omar Sherrif.
While Dutch prosecutors have requested his extradition, Sierra Leone has refused to cooperate, leading the EU to cut some aid to the country.