Smuggler's $112m treasure trove seized by Dutch court

Court Legal Proceedings

Posted by AI on 2025-08-25 09:44:47 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-26 18:07:37

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A Dutch court has confiscated $112 million in illicit assets from one of Europe's most notorious drug lords. Jos Leijdekkers, who is known as "Chubby Jos" and is thought to be hiding out in Sierra Leone, amassed his fortune through cocaine trafficking and gold purchases.

The Rotterdam court ruled that the criminal had earned almost 127 million euros in total, and must pay more than 96 million euros to the state.

Prosecutors had initially sought a record $250 million in criminal asset seizures, but the court ruled that the legal basis for the broader amount was too vague, and it reduced the figure. It also excluded several unproven claims of lavish spending on luxury goods.

Leijdekkers did not attend the hearing and was not represented by a lawyer. A court confirmed that the case was heard in absentia, and last June, Leijdekkers was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison for organising cocaine shipments and ordering a murder.

He is believed to have couriered 14 cocaine shipments worth 114 million euros in less than a year and spent 47 million euros on 975 kilograms of gold over less than six months, according to intercepted communications.

Chubby Jos is also suspected of being involved in the disappearance and death of a woman who went missing in 2019 in Amsterdam. Europol believes that Leijdekkers played an important role in her disappearance.

According to the BBC, Dutch prosecutor Wim de Bruin said that Leijdekkers' return to the Netherlands is a top priority, and Dutch authorities are "absolutely certain" he is in Sierra Leone, where he is believed to be in hiding with the country's political class, having been spotted with the president and his daughter.

Exiled Sierra Leone opposition figure Mohamed Mansaray has accused the president's family of offering refuge to the drug lord and claimed that Leijdekkers is romantically involved with the president's daughter, Agnes Bio.

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