Belgian prosecutors seek 15-year sentence for fugitive Dutch drug lord “Bolle Jos”

The Belgian Public Prosecution Service has recommended a 15-year prison sentence for the Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, also known as Bolle Jos, in the extensive Costa trial. The case is being called Belgium’s biggest drug trial ever by volume, involving the import of at least 25 tons of cocaine through the port of Antwerp, worth an estimated 3.5 billion euros on the street.

Alongside “Bolle Jos,” approximately 50 people face charges in the case. Prosecutors have recommended sentences ranging from 15 to 20 years for the key organizers. Altogether, prosecutors called for 451 years of imprisonment for all suspects.

“These are serious crimes, and the defendants showed a lack of moral awareness,” said prosecutor Evi Franco. “This is a case with a major social impact, where the victims have been scarred for life. The defendants have blood on their hands.”

Leijdekkers, who remains at large, was not in court when the prosecution delivered its sentence request. Despite having received a total of 57 years in prison in absentia across Belgium and the Netherlands, Leijdekkers is thought to be in Sierra Leone. Video footage appears to show him attending official functions, including a church service in the presence of the nation’s president.

Authorities claim the group laundered huge profits by buying gold, high-end watches, including Rolexes, and real estate in locations including Spain and Dubai. Franco stressed that only a small portion of the criminal fortune has been recovered. She described how the defendants used the port of Antwerp as their own “playground” for illicit trafficking.

The Public Prosecution Service is seeking the maximum 20-year sentence for Geert F. (53), former head of the Bandidos motorcycle club in Sittard. Considered a central figure in the network, he is alleged to have invested in a 750,000 euros apartment in Spain, among other assets.

A notable figure in the case is Willy Van Mechelen, a former Belgian Gendarmerie officer. Prosecutors claim he used drug money to invest in gold and an auto body business.

Besides his involvement in the Costa smuggling case, Leijdekkers is connected to the 2019 disappearance of Naima Jillal. The Netherlands police continue to offer a record 200,000 euros reward for information that results in Leijdekkers’ capture.