Gambiaj.com – (MADRID, Spain) – Spanish authorities have intercepted what could be one of the largest cocaine shipments ever seized in the country, with investigators reportedly examining possible links between the operation and fugitive Dutch drug kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, whose alleged ties to Sierra Leone’s political establishment have drawn renewed scrutiny.
Spain’s Guardia Civil seized between 35,000 and 40,000 kilograms of cocaine from the cargo ship Arconian near the coast of Western Sahara in a major Atlantic anti-narcotics operation. Twenty-three people, most of them Dutch, Filipino, and Angolan nationals, were arrested during the raid.
The vessel, sailing under the Comoros Islands flag, had departed from Freetown and was officially bound for Benghazi, Libya, when it was intercepted by the Guardia Civil’s Maritime Service vessel Duque de Ahumada.
The ship was later escorted to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where Spanish authorities began unloading and inspecting the cargo.
The Guardia Civil described the operation as historic, while the Asociación Unificada de la Guardia Civil (AUGC) praised the officers involved in the interception, calling the seizure “historical” and one of the most significant in recent years.
Although Spanish investigators have not officially named suspects because the case remains under judicial seal at Spain’s National Court, Dutch media reports have linked the shipment to Leijdekkers, widely known as “Bolle Jos.”
According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, investigators are probing whether the fugitive trafficker orchestrated the shipment from Sierra Leone, where he is believed to have established a base of operations under the protection of influential local figures.
Dutch drug kingpin Jos Leijdekkers (also known as “Bolle Jos” or “Chubby Jos”) was identified in tis picture sitting near Agnes Bio, the daughter of Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, during a New Year’s Day church service on January 1, 2025
Leijdekkers, 34, originally from Breda in the Netherlands, is one of Europe’s most wanted drug traffickers and has been convicted in absentia in multiple major narcotics cases.
Last year, Dutch courts ordered him to pay €96 million in what was described as the country’s largest-ever criminal proceeds case, after sentencing him to 24 years in prison for international cocaine trafficking.
Belgian courts have also sentenced him to seven years in jail over the importation of cocaine through the Port of Antwerp.
The latest seizure has intensified attention on allegations regarding his connections within Sierra Leone’s political elite.
Dutch media have previously reported that Leijdekkers is living openly in Sierra Leone and is allegedly engaged to Agnes Bio, a daughter of President Julius Maada Bio. Sierra Leone has no extradition treaty with the Netherlands, complicating efforts to bring him to Europe for prosecution.
According to Sierra Leonean media reports, Agnes Bio is currently raising Jos Leijdekkers’ son, Liam, in Sierra Leone.
While Sierra Leonean authorities have not publicly commented on the latest cocaine seizure, the reports are likely to fuel international concern over whether powerful figures in the West African nation may have enabled or shielded the operations of one of Europe’s most notorious narcotics traffickers.
Leijdekkers’ lawyer, Guy Weski, dismissed suggestions that his client was linked to the intercepted shipment, describing the allegations as speculation.
“It’s very much beginning to look as if every crime that’s committed on the African continent or in its waters is associated with my client,” Weski said.
Sources close to the Spanish investigation told EFE news agency that the haul may rank among the biggest cocaine seizures ever carried out by Spanish authorities.
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