Dutch authorities say one of Europe’s most-wanted fugitives has been living in Sierra Leone for about six months.
Jos Leijdekkers, 33, was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison on 25 June last year by a Rotterdam court for smuggling more than seven tonnes of cocaine.
Dutch prosecutor Wim de Bruin said the fugitive’s return to the Netherlands was of “the highest priority”.
“We are doing everything we can in that regard but we cannot comment any further because of the ongoing investigation,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) said Leijdekkers has been living in Sierra Leone for about six months.
They said he is known by the nickname Bolle Jos and that until recently he was suspected to be living in Turkey.
Sierra Leonean authorities have not commented on the claims.
Reuters news agency has reported that Leijdekkers was spotted in Sierra Leone in January when the President of Sierra Leone’s wife posted a video on social media of a church service she was attending with her husband.
According to Reuters, Leijdekkers can be seen in the video. The BBC has not been able to verify the footage.
Dutch police have described Leijdekkers as “one of the key players in international cocaine trafficking”.
A $210,000 (£168,000) reward is being offered for tip-offs that lead to his arrest. This is reportedly the highest amount ever offered for a Dutch fugitive.
Leijdekkers is listed as one of the most-wanted fugitives by Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency.
West Africa is a major transit point for the trafficking of cocaine from Latin America.
On 17 January, Sierra Leone recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Guinea after seven suitcases containing suspected cocaine were found in an embassy vehicle.
Guinean authorities impounded a vehicle belonging to Sierra Leone’s embassy and detained its occupants on suspicion of possessing “substances suspected to be cocaine”, Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabba said.
“In light of this serious development, the government has urgently recalled Sierra Leone’s ambassador to Guinea, Ambassador Mr Alimamy Bangura, to Freetown to provide a full account of the incident,” he added.
The recalled envoy was not in the car and is not under arrest, the minister said.
“It has not been proven that the ambassador is involved in this trafficking,” he added.
Additional reporting by Wycliffe Muia
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