Drug baron Bolle Jos's brother arrested again in Turkey

The authorities in Turkey have again arrested Harry Leijdekkers (49), the older brother of wanted cocaine trafficker Bolle Jos Leijdekkers. He will soon be extradited to the Netherlands, “well-informed sources” told AD.

Harry Leijdekkers was arrested in Turkey in December 2023 during a manhunt for Bolle Jos. A judge suddenly released him from custody in April. After an objection from the Turkish public prosecutor, he has now been arrested again, pending extradition to the Netherlands, the newspaper’s sources said.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) would not confirm his arrest or respond to the newspaper’s questions about an extradition request. Harry Leijdekker’s lawyer also couldn’t confirm that his client was arrested. Lawyer Guy Weski said that as far as he is aware, his client is only suspected of money laundering. "In my opinion, it is disproportionate to submit an extradition request for this while the other family members have never been in custody."

The Dutch authorities have been hunting Jos Leijdekkers and the members of his organization for several years. “Bolle Jos” is considered a key figure in the international cocaine trade and was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison for drug trafficking last year.

The Turkish authorities linked his brother Harry to his organization, saying that he laundered drug money for the criminal group. It is not clear why the Netherlands has requested his extradition. He still has to serve an 18-month prison sentence for weapons possession, imposed in 2019.

Jos Leijdekkers surfaced in Sierra Leone earlier this year. The Dutch government is trying hard to get him extradited, but is losing hope. Last week, Justice Minister David van Weel announced that he is unable to contact his counterpart in Sierra Leone and is becoming increasingly “pessimistic” about the case.

According to AD and Follow the Money, Bolle Jos is in a relationship with the president of Sierra Leone’s daughter and is being protected by high-ranking officials in the country.