Netherlands Offers Record 2 Million Euro Bounty for Fugitive Cocaine Trafficker Jos Leijdekkers

Dutch prosecutors on 2 November raised the reward for the tip that leads to the arrest of Jos Leijdekkers to 2 million euros, the highest bounty the Netherlands has ever offered. The previous amount was 200,000 euros. Leijdekkers, 35, is known in the Netherlands as Bolle Jos or Chubby Jos and in Sierra Leone as Omar Sheriff. He is one of Europe's most-wanted fugitives.

A Rotterdam court sentenced him in absentia on 25 June 2024 to 24 years for six cocaine transports totaling nearly 7,000 kilograms, an armed robbery in Finland, and commissioning a murder. A Belgian court has sentenced him to 79 years in a separate case. Prosecutors estimate he earned tens of millions of euros from the trade. Encrypted Sky-ECC messages show a leading role in shipments and large-scale money laundering, including gold. The court ordered him to pay more than 96 million euros in confiscation.

Leijdekkers has lived in Sierra Leone for several years. Dutch authorities have requested extradition. Sierra Leone has refused to cooperate, prompting the European Union to cut some aid. The Public Prosecution Service said the increased reward is available to anyone who provides the decisive information that results in his arrest. Payment can follow within days of the arrest. The Ministry of Justice approved the tenfold increase.

Why the Record Sum

Typical Dutch rewards for murder cases run between 10,000 and 20,000 euros. The earlier 200,000 euro figure for Leijdekkers was already the largest on record. Authorities hope the jump to 2 million will encourage residents of Sierra Leone and neighboring countries to come forward. Previous plans to intercept him at sea between Sierra Leone and Liberia were cancelled at the last moment for external reasons. He has been seen in footage near the president's family during a new-year mass.

He has been on the Dutch National Wanted List and the EU Most Wanted List since May 2022. Ongoing investigations in the Netherlands link him to additional violence, including a September shooting in Overasselt that killed a security guard. Family members have faced separate money-laundering charges related to luxury items allegedly funded by the proceeds.

International Dimension

The case highlights the difficulty of securing fugitives who shelter in countries that decline extradition. Dutch prosecutors have pursued diplomatic channels and law-enforcement cooperation. The aid cuts by the EU are one pressure point. The public reward is another. Whether the larger sum produces a usable tip remains to be seen. Leijdekkers continues to operate from Sierra Leone according to Dutch assessments, and no arrest has occurred despite years of pursuit.

The 2 million euro figure is now public. Anyone with concrete information can contact Dutch authorities. The reward is conditional on the tip being decisive for the arrest. For now, the fugitive remains at large, the extradition request is outstanding, and the bounty stands at a level without precedent in Dutch practice.