The Netherlands is seeking Ghanaian help to cut supply lines of fugitive Dutch trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, known as Bolle Jos, after cocaine shipped from Ghana was seized in France.
Dutch Justice and Security Minister David van Weel is backing efforts to bring Ghanaian authorities into the pursuit, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported. The form of the cooperation is still being worked out but could include sending Dutch police officers to Ghana, the paper said.
The move puts Ghana at the centre of one of Europe’s most prominent manhunts. Leijdekkers is the Netherlands’ most wanted criminal. Dutch authorities believe he is hiding in Sierra Leone, and The Hague has tried for months without success to secure his extradition from Freetown.
The trigger was a seizure in early September 2026, when French customs at the Port of Dunkirk found nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in a container of plastic waste shipped from Ghana. French authorities valued the drugs at about €225 million (about US$260 million). De Telegraaf and Belgian media have linked the shipment to Leijdekkers’ network.
Four Ghanaians have since been arraigned before the High Court in Accra on charges of conspiracy to export narcotic drugs and exporting narcotic drugs. They have pleaded not guilty. The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has said the suspects were under surveillance for one to two years before their arrest. It said intelligence showed that Leijdekkers himself had not entered Ghana, although associates operated from the country.
NACOC has said Ghana will not be a safe haven or transit point for international drug trafficking groups. President John Mahama has ordered an inter-agency task force to draw up a plan to stop drug trafficking through Ghana’s borders.
Europe is also stepping up pressure on Sierra Leone. The European Commission has suspended about €18 million in 2026 budget support to the country, which Van Weel said was because of its failure to cooperate on extradition. The Netherlands wants a further €22.5 million earmarked for 2027 withheld if Leijdekkers is not handed over. It is also pursuing European measures to freeze his assets and restrict his movements.
A Dutch court sentenced Leijdekkers in his absence to 24 years in prison for trafficking nearly seven tonnes of cocaine.
