Europe’s Most Wanted Drug Lord Allegedly Secures Protection in Sierra Leone by Having a Child with President’s Daughter

A major scandal is unfolding in Sierra Leone after opposition figures accused the government of protecting Europe’s most wanted drug trafficker. Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, known as “Chubby Jos,” is alleged to have secured safety in the country by having a child with President Julius Maada Bio’s daughter.

Leijdekkers, 34, has been on the run for over two years while facing a combined 74-year prison sentence in Europe for cocaine trafficking, torture, and murder. According to opposition leader Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray, the president’s daughter, Agnes Bio, gave birth to Leijdekkers’ child in New York earlier this year. Mansaray accused the Bio administration of shielding the fugitive and blocking attempts by European authorities to extradite him.

The Dutch trafficker has been seen several times mingling with the Bio family. Footage posted by First Lady Fatima Bio from a New Year’s church service showed Leijdekkers standing just two rows behind the president. Another video obtained by investigative platforms Follow the Money and AD captured him at a private birthday party in March 2024 for Sierra Leone’s immigration chief, Alusine Kanneh, where he presented a gift during the event.

Despite a €200,000 bounty on his head, Leijdekkers reportedly remained in Sierra Leone during the birth of his child, while President Bio travelled to New York to visit his daughter and grandchild during the UN General Assembly.

In response to the controversy, Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Communications said President Bio had “no knowledge of the identity or the issues detailed” concerning Leijdekkers.

Leijdekkers, already convicted multiple times in the Netherlands and Belgium, was handed an additional eight-year sentence in Belgium in September, bringing his total prison term there to 50 years. In 2024, he was also sentenced to 24 years in the Netherlands for his role in six major cocaine shipments. Dutch authorities have lodged a formal extradition request with Sierra Leone, which remains unresolved.