Overview

• Jos Leijdekkers, a 33-year-old Dutch national, is one of Europe’s most wanted criminals, sought for large-scale cocaine trafficking and violent crimes.
• He was recently identified in Sierra Leone through photos shared on social media by the country’s First Lady, sparking an ongoing manhunt by local authorities.
• Leijdekkers has been sentenced in absentia to 24 years in the Netherlands and 10 years in Belgium for drug trafficking, money laundering, and a failed assassination plot.
• He is also implicated in the disappearance and suspected torture of Naïma Jilal, a prominent figure in the Dutch criminal underworld.
• Europol has placed a €200,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, as authorities confirm his presence in Sierra Leone for at least six months.