Prosecutors seek record $250 million from fugitive drug lord
Dutch prosecutors said Monday they were seeking to confiscate a record $253 million from one of Europe's most notorious drug lords, thought to be hiding in Sierra Leone.
The illegal assets amassed by Jos Leijdekkers, also known as "Bolle Jos" or "Chubby Jos," were proceeds from cocaine trafficking, as well as purchases of gold and luxury items, the public prosecutors said.
Leijdekkers is thought to have made 114 million euros from 14 cocaine shipments over less than a year.
According to intercepted communications, the 33-year-old also spent 47 million euros on 975 kilograms of gold over less than six months.
The kingpin additionally bought real estate including a hotel in Turkey and apartments in Dubai, the prosecutors alleged.
Luxury goods including two Bentley cars, designer bags, jewellery and watches, were also added to the total of illicit assets, bringing the total to $253 million.
"This is... only a first step towards tracing Leijdekkers' assets," the prosecutors said.
A Rotterdam court last June sentenced Leijdekkers in absentia to 24 years in prison for ordering a murder and organizing cocaine shipments.
He is on Europol's most-wanted list, with the European police body offering over $225,000 for information leading to his arrest.
"Leijdekkers is considered to be one of the key players in international cocaine trafficking," according to Europol.
In January, Dutch authorities said they were "absolutely certain" he was hiding out in Sierra Leone. The BBC reported that Dutch prosecutor Wim de Bruin said the fugitive's return to the Netherlands was of "the highest priority."
Images apparently showing Leijdekkers in the company of officials as high as President Julius Maada Bio have sparked speculation the cocaine lord has cozied up to Sierra Leone's political class -- including the president's daughter.
Suspicions he was in Sierra Leone arose after the country's First Lady Fatima Bio posted pictures and a video on social media that showed a man strongly resembling Leijdekkers at a religious service, also attended by President Bio.
Exiled Sierra Leone opposition figure Mohamed Mansaray has accused Bio and his government of "offering refuge" to the drug lord.
According to Mansaray, Leijdekkers has coupled up with the president's daughter Agnes Bio, who is seen accompanying the drug lord in the images.
Leijdekkers is also believed to be involved in the disappearance and death of Naima Jillal, a woman who went missing in 2019 after she got into a car in Amsterdam, according to Europol. Intercepted messages allegedly showed that Leijdekkers "played an important role in Jillal's disappearance," the agency said.
"For a long time, there was no trace of Naima Jillal, until photos of a woman believed to be her were found on a phone seized in the Marengo investigation," Europol said. "The photos show that she was most likely tortured and is probably no longer alive."
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