Law enforcement raises informing implicit "pink cocaine"
Dutch prosecutors said Monday they were seeking to confiscate a grounds $253 cardinal from 1 of Europe's astir notorious cause lords, thought to beryllium hiding successful Sierra Leone.
The amerciable assets amassed by Jos Leijdekkers, besides known arsenic "Bolle Jos" oregon "Chubby Jos," were proceeds from cocaine trafficking, arsenic good arsenic purchases of golden and luxury items, the nationalist prosecutors said.
Leijdekkers is thought to person made 114 cardinal euros from 14 cocaine shipments implicit little than a year.
According to intercepted communications, the 33-year-old besides spent 47 cardinal euros connected 975 kilograms of golden implicit little than six months.
The kingpin additionally bought existent property including a edifice successful Turkey and apartments successful Dubai, the prosecutors alleged.
Luxury goods including 2 Bentley cars, decorator bags, jewellery and watches, were besides added to the full of illicit assets, bringing the full to $253 million.
"This is... lone a archetypal measurement towards tracing Leijdekkers' assets," the prosecutors said.
Convicted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers attends a religion work successful Tihun, Sierra Leone, January 1, 2025, successful this surface drawback obtained from a societal media video.
First Lady Fatima Maada Bio via Facebook/via REUTERS
A Rotterdam tribunal past June sentenced Leijdekkers successful absentia to 24 years successful situation for ordering a execution and organizing cocaine shipments.
He is connected Europol's most-wanted list, with the European constabulary assemblage offering implicit $225,000 for accusation starring to his arrest.
"Leijdekkers is considered to beryllium 1 of the cardinal players successful planetary cocaine trafficking," according to Europol.
In January, Dutch authorities said they were "absolutely certain" helium was hiding retired successful Sierra Leone. The BBC reported that Dutch authoritative Wim de Bruin said the fugitive's instrumentality to the Netherlands was of "the highest priority."
Images seemingly showing Leijdekkers successful the institution of officials arsenic precocious arsenic President Julius Maada Bio person sparked speculation the cocaine lord has cozied up to Sierra Leone's governmental people -- including the president's daughter.
Suspicions helium was successful Sierra Leone arose aft the country's First Lady Fatima Bio posted pictures and a video connected societal media that showed a antheral powerfully resembling Leijdekkers at a spiritual service, besides attended by President Bio.
Exiled Sierra Leone absorption fig Mohamed Mansaray has accused Bio and his authorities of "offering refuge" to the cause lord.
According to Mansaray, Leijdekkers has coupled up with the president's girl Agnes Bio, who is seen accompanying the cause lord successful the images.
Leijdekkers is besides believed to beryllium progressive successful the disappearance and decease of Naima Jillal, a pistillate who went missing successful 2019 aft she got into a car successful Amsterdam, according to Europol. Intercepted messages allegedly showed that Leijdekkers "played an important relation successful Jillal's disappearance," the bureau said.
"For a agelong time, determination was nary hint of Naima Jillal, until photos of a pistillate believed to beryllium her were recovered connected a telephone seized successful the Marengo investigation," Europol said. "The photos amusement that she was astir apt tortured and is astir apt nary longer alive."
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