Dutch prosecutors offer record €2m reward for fugitive drug lord linked to Ghana, Sierra Leone investigation

Dutch prosecutors have offered a record €2 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Jos Leijdekkers, a convicted cocaine trafficker whose alleged activities have become the subject of an investigation in Ghana.

In a statement on Monday, 2 November 2026, the prosecutors said the reward would be paid to anyone whose information provides a crucial lead resulting in Leijdekkers’ arrest.

The bounty, equivalent to approximately $2.2 million, is the highest ever offered by Dutch authorities.

The announcement comes as Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) investigates three suspects accused of representing and facilitating the activities of the fugitive trafficker in the country.

The suspects were arrested following the seizure of a major cocaine shipment by French customs, which authorities believe may be connected to a wider international drug-trafficking network.

NACOC said the three individuals were in its custody and assisting investigators to establish their alleged roles in the operation.

The Commission said the arrests formed part of efforts to disrupt international drug-trafficking networks operating in or through Ghana.

Investigators are expected to examine the suspects’ alleged connections to Leijdekkers, their activities in Ghana and possible links to the wider international network.

Who is Jos Leijdekkers?
Leijdekkers, 35, is known in the Netherlands by the nickname “Bolle Jos”, meaning “Chubby Jos”. Dutch police say he also uses the name Omar Sherrif in Sierra Leone.

Dutch prosecutors describe him as a major figure in international cocaine trafficking who is believed to have made tens of millions of euros from the illicit trade.

A Dutch court sentenced him in absentia to 24 years in prison last year for smuggling more than seven tonnes of cocaine.

He is also the subject of several ongoing police investigations in the Netherlands.

In Belgium, a court sentenced him to 79 years in prison.

Dutch authorities also suspect him of money laundering and involvement in extreme violence.