Dutch prosecutors are offering a €2 million ($2.2 million) reward for information that will lead to the arrest of convicted cocaine kingpin Joseph Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s ‌most-wanted fugitives.

The Dutch prosecution service said on Monday that Mr Leijdekkers, also known as fugitive cocaine baron Bolle Jos, is a Dutch national who has been living in Sierra Leone for the past years.

Prosecutors have demanded his extradition, but Sierra Leone has refused to cooperate, prompting the European Union to cut some aid to the West African country.

They said in a statement that the reward, the highest bounty ever offered by Dutch authorities, is available to anyone who provides the crucial tip leading to Mr Leijdekkers’ arrest.

The prosecutors added that Mr Leijdekkers, who is known in the Netherlands as Bolle Jos or Chubby Jos, is a key player in international ‌cocaine trafficking.

According to police, Mr Leijdekkers also goes by the name of Omar Sherrif in Sierra Leone.

The 35-year-old was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison by a Dutch court in 2025 for smuggling more than seven tonnes of cocaine and is also the subject of several ongoing police investigations in the Netherlands.

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

Dutch authorities estimate that Mr Leijdekkers has made tens of millions of euros from cocaine smuggling.

He is also suspected of money laundering and involvement in the use of extreme violence, they said. 

(Reuters/NAN)