One of Europe's most-wanted drug traffickers living in Sierra Leone, say Dutch prosecutors
One of Europe's most wanted men, the Dutch crime boss Jos Leijdekkers, is hiding out in Sierra Leone, Dutch prosecutors have said.
The statement came after Dutch media published footage that appeared to show the violent drug trafficker at a New Year's Day church service seated close to Sierra Leone's presidential family. Sierra Leone's information office said it was investigating reports that he was benefiting from high-level protection.
Leijdekkers, who is on the Netherlands' and Europol's most wanted list, was sentenced in absentia by a Rotterdam court last June to 24 years in prison for six drug transports totalling 7,000kg of cocaine, an armed robbery in Finland and ordering murder. Last September a Belgian court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking offences and assault.
Dutch police also suspect his involvement in the disappearance and suspected murder and torture of Naima Jilal, a woman who disappeared in Amsterdam in 2019.
Dutch journalists revealed that the 33-year-old was hiding out in Sierra Leone and published a video showing a man believed to be Leijdekkers at a church service seated two rows behind Sierra Leone's president, Julius Maada Bio.
The Reuters news agency, which verified the video, reported that Leijdekkers was sitting next to a woman who was Bio's daughter, Agnes, and said to be married to Leijdekkers. The relationship has not been confirmed by Reuters or the Dutch prosecutor's office.
In a statement, the Sierra Leonean ministry said the country's police were ready to collaborate with the Dutch government, Interpol and other international law enforcement agencies.
The statement said the country's president 'attended numerous family events during the festive season' and 'has no knowledge about the identity and the issues detailed in the reports about the individual in question'.
Sierra Leone is suspected of being a shipment point for large volumes of Latin American cocaine headed to Europe.
Leijdekkers, one of the main players in the international cocaine trade, is also guilty of laundering tens of millions of euros and hundreds of kilos of gold, according to his entry on the EU's most wanted list.
In a statement, Dutch prosecutors said he had been staying in Sierra Leone for at least six months and the highest priority was to get him to the Netherlands to serve his sentence. A reward of €200,000 (£168,430) has been offered for decisive information that leads to his arrest.
In a separate development on Monday it emerged that the former Belgian national team footballer Radja Nainggolan has been arrested in connection with an investigation into cocaine trafficking into Europe.
The cocaine was allegedly trafficked through the Port of Antwerp, the Brussels public prosecutor's office said in an official statement, adding that 30 house searches had been carried out on Monday as part of the investigation. As is usual practice, it did not name the suspect, but used his initials.
Nainggolan's name was reported by local media. Reached by Le Soir on Monday morning, a lawyer for the footballer, who plays for the Belgian club Lokeren-Temse, said he was on his way to meet his client and had no specific information about the accusations.
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