FILE PHOTO: Convicted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers attends a church service in Tihun, Sierra Leone, January 1, 2025, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. First Lady Fatima Maada Bio via Facebook/via REUTERS/File photo
FREETOWN (Reuters) -Sierra Leone's information ministry said on Sunday it was investigating media reports that European cocaine kingpin Jos Leijdekkers is in the country and benefiting from high-level protection there.
Two sources told Reuters on Friday that Leijdekkers, who was sentenced last June in absentia to 24 years in prison by a Dutch court for smuggling more than 7 tonnes of cocaine, had been in Sierra Leone since at least early 2023.
A spokesperson for the Dutch prosecutors' office said in response to questions from Reuters about Leijdekkers' whereabouts that he has been living in Sierra Leone for at least six months. Leijdekkers is on Europol's list of most wanted fugitives.
In a statement, the Sierra Leonean ministry said the country's police were ready to collaborate with the Dutch government, Interpol and other international law enforcement agencies about the case.
The statement said the country's president "attended numerous family events during the festive season" and "has no knowledge about the identity and the issues detailed in the reports about the individual in question".
Reuters was not able to reach Leijdekkers.
Videos and photos verified by Reuters of a church Mass in Sierra Leone on Jan. 1, 2025 show Leijdekkers, 33, sitting two rows behind Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio.
In the images, Leijdekkers was sitting next to a woman who three sources said was Bio's daughter Agnes and who they said was married to Leijdekkers. Reuters could not confirm the relationship.
Bio's daughter and the Dutch lawyer who last represented Leijdekkers in the Netherlands did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Three sources told Reuters Leijdekkers was benefiting from high-level protection in Sierra Leone, which international law enforcement officials say is a transshipment point for large volumes of Latin American cocaine headed to Europe.
The Sierra Leonean information ministry said the government had not received any formal communication on Leijdekkers from any state or institution, and was resolute in ensuring the country would not become a safe haven for any organised crime.
(Reporting by Umaru FofanaWriting by Silvia AloisiEditing by David Lewis and Frances Kerry)
