An investigation by The Economist has revealed that Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, widely known as "Bolle Jos", employed Ghanaian bodyguards during his years operating from Freetown, Sierra Leone. The report alleges that Leijdekkers used these bodyguards to shield himself as he built a cocaine empire. Leijdekkers is one of Europe's most wanted drug traffickers and has been linked to a major cocaine trafficking operation in West Africa.
The Economist's investigation claims that over the past five years, Leijdekkers helped turn Sierra Leone into a major staging post for Colombian cocaine bound for Europe. Shipments were disguised inside consignments of ordinary goods such as rice and plantain chips. The report estimates that billions of dollars' worth of cocaine now pass through Sierra Leone annually. Leijdekkers allegedly channelled drug proceeds to members of Sierra Leone's political establishment in exchange for protection.
Leijdekkers fled Europe in 2020 as Dutch investigators closed in on his alleged trafficking network. He was later sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands to 24 years in prison and has separate convictions in Belgium. Dutch authorities have offered a €200,000 reward for information leading to his capture. Despite the international manhunt, his exact location around Freetown has remained difficult to pin down. Leijdekkers also secured a Sierra Leonean diplomatic passport and, at times, travelled alongside presidential security personnel.
The Sierra Leone revelations arrive as Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) pursues its own leads into the same network. NACOC arrested three suspects in Ghana linked to the 'Bolle Jos' operation. In one case, the agency moved to correct claims that one of the men detained was a presidential bodyguard, insisting instead that the suspect was a farmer, not a security operative. The Ghanaian arrests have unfolded against a backdrop of heated domestic debate over the country's broader cocaine trafficking scandal.
Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr recently criticised politicians for circulating unverified claims about cocaine laboratories, while journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has pushed back against attempts to shift blame for lax drug policy onto past administrations. A member of parliament, Baffour Awuah, has also had to publicly deny financial wrongdoing tied to a disputed GHS5 million deal connected to the wider scandal. The alleged use of Ghanaian bodyguards inside a foreign cocaine empire raises fresh questions for security agencies about how nationals end up embedded in transnational trafficking operations.
Sierra Leonean officials, including Information Minister Chernoh Bah, said in October 2025 that authorities were investigating claims about diplomatic passports issued to criminals and were working with Dutch officials on extradition efforts for Leijdekkers. No date has been given for any extradition, and NACOC has not indicated when further findings on the Ghanaian suspects will be released. In Sierra Leone, Spanish authorities separately seized around 30 tonnes of cocaine in May 2026 from a vessel that had departed Freetown.
The seizure of 30 tonnes of cocaine in May 2026 from a vessel that had departed Freetown is suspected to be linked to Leijdekkers, though this has not been proven in court. The incident highlights the ongoing efforts of international authorities to disrupt and dismantle cocaine trafficking operations in West Africa. The use of Ghanaian bodyguards by Leijdekkers also underscores the need for Ghanaian security agencies to review their screening and oversight processes to prevent nationals from becoming involved in transnational trafficking operations.
Key points
- Dutch fugitive 'Bolle Jos' allegedly used Ghanaian bodyguards to protect his Sierra Leone cocaine operation.
- Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) is pursuing leads into the same network and has arrested three suspects in Ghana.
- The alleged use of Ghanaian bodyguards raises questions about how nationals end up embedded in transnational trafficking operations.
