French customs authorities have seized a multi-ton shipment of cocaine allegedly linked to the criminal network of Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, also known as “Bolle Jos,” in a major drug interception at the port of Dunkirk.
The seizure was made on Sunday night after French authorities searched a cargo vessel arriving from Ghana, with investigators reportedly acting on specific intelligence rather than as part of a routine inspection.
The vessel had stopped at Dunkirk before continuing to Antwerp in Belgium. Reports by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and Belgian outlet HLN indicate that Dutch and French investigators believe part of the seized cocaine was connected to Leijdekkers’ organisation and was destined for a business address in Dordrecht, Netherlands.
Authorities described the quantity as several thousand kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value running into tens of millions of euros.
The latest interception comes amid a series of major cocaine seizures by French authorities in recent weeks. On September 3, officers recovered 347 kilograms of cocaine, valued at about €13 million, from a truck driven by a Dutch national on the A7 motorway in the Drôme region.
A further 231 kilograms, estimated at €6.8 million, were discovered on August 27 concealed inside the ventilation system of a Dutch-registered truck near Dijon. On July 17, French authorities also recovered more than 165 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the air-conditioning system of another Dutch truck in the same area.
Leijdekkers remains one of Europe’s most wanted suspected drug traffickers and is believed by investigators to have links to Sierra Leone. In 2023, the Rotterdam District Court sentenced him in absentia to 24 years in prison over his involvement in six cocaine shipments involving nearly 7,000 kilograms of the drug, among other offences.
Dutch and European authorities have offered a €200,000 reward for information that could lead to his arrest.
Investigators have also alleged that Leijdekkers has received protection from influential individuals in Sierra Leone, including claims that he married into President Julius Maada Bio’s family. Sierra Leone’s Justice Minister Alpha Sesay and the Bio administration have denied the allegations and rejected claims that the fugitive is in the country.
The latest reports nevertheless continue to draw attention to alleged connections between Leijdekkers’ network and West Africa’s cocaine trafficking routes. Investigators reportedly believe his organisation has increasingly relied on ports in the region to move cocaine to Europe amid heightened scrutiny of his alleged activities and links to Sierra Leone.
In May 2026, the cargo vessel Arconian, reportedly carrying about 30 tonnes of cocaine valued at approximately €812 million, was intercepted after departing Freetown, resulting in 23 arrests.
Reports have also suggested that Leijdekkers is facing growing financial pressure, including alleged difficulties meeting payments to individuals providing protection in Sierra Leone and debts reportedly owed to the Cali Cartel.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel said last week that authorities remained confident Leijdekkers would eventually be arrested as international efforts to locate him continue.
