A black Toyota Rav4 forced its way through traffic on the Peninsula Highway. Witnesses reported burly white men jumping out and putting on balaclavas. Alan Jalloh, 40, and his two friends, one a well-known Freetown footballer, were seized and thrown into the waiting vehicle. They have not been seen since.
Two days later, on 25 October 2025, three more men vanished. Within a week, a total of nine people had been abducted from the city, most in broad daylight. Police sources revealed that the victims were dismembered, with at least one beheaded. An officer involved in Jalloh’s case commented, “They were exterminated to hide the truth.” No bodies have been recovered.
Five months later, the ageing cargo ship Arconian left Freetown. By May, it was off the Moroccan coast when Spanish civil guards boarded. Officer Lucas Fernández discovered armed men hiding in the ship’s hold. After disarming six gunmen, Fernández found 1,279 bales of cocaine weighing between 30 and 45 tonnes—a record seizure.
On 25 May 2026, health officials at Oxford University applauded President Julius Maada Bio after his speech highlighting strong leadership. As chair of Ecowas, Bio is a prominent figure in the UN. However, the most crucial person in Sierra Leone is Jos Leijdekkers, the man linked to both Jalloh’s abduction and the cocaine found on the Arconian. Leijdekkers is also Bio’s son-in-law.
At just 35, Leijdekkers is considered Europe’s leading cocaine trafficker, credited with significantly reducing European wholesale prices for the drug. Multiple intelligence sources describe him as controlling drug operations that have plunged Sierra Leone into what appears to be a narco state. “State capture by a criminal network on a scale never seen,” says a Western official.
Leijdekkers’ reign has led to at least 14 murders, including high-ranking police officials who had been ordered to be killed. Many officers have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives. “If you get in his way, he wipes you out,” notes an intelligence source.
Despite extensive intelligence on the cocaine trade from Sierra Leone to Europe, the EU has continued to offer aid to Bio’s government, while the UN has disregarded the evidence. With Leijdekkers’ influence spreading, the risk to the entire West African region is rising.
Last month, dozens of gunmen attacked a quiet Dutch village in a shocking demonstration of Leijdekkers’ power, ironically compared to the tactics of Latin American drug cartels. Police arrested 34 of the assailants following the attack, revealing the extent of violence Leijdekkers is willing to employ.
As authorities scrutinise the connections between Leijdekkers and the Sierra Leonean government, his wealth continues to corrupt, creating a stark divide within society. Despite the rising demand for cocaine among higher social classes, nearly half of Sierra Leone’s population struggles with extreme poverty. Major infrastructure developments and luxury car showrooms appear alongside evidence of Leijdekkers’s illicit trade.
Sierra Leone faces threats on multiple fronts. Nations far beyond its shores are affected as Leijdekkers expands his operations to neighbouring countries. Amid rising international scrutiny, instead of withdrawing from the drug trade, he seems to be fortifying his position.
Even now, Leijdekkers shows no signs of retreat. His continual expansion brings an escalating cycle of violence and intimidation. It’s uncertain whether he will be brought to justice, but his presence in Sierra Leone has made clear that the nation’s struggle with narcotics is far from over.
