Dutch media outlet De Telegraaf has reported that Dutch special forces came close on two occasions in recent weeks to arresting fugitive drug kingpin Jos Leijdekkers in West Africa.
According to the report, the covert operation had received approval from the government of Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten after the previous administration under former Prime Minister Dick Schoof reportedly declined to authorise the mission.
The operation, which was reportedly abandoned twice this month at the final stage, would have involved Dutch marines alongside the Netherlands’ special police interventions unit intercepting Leijdekkers in international waters off Sierra Leone while he travelled by boat to neighbouring Liberia.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service reportedly neither confirmed nor denied the account but maintained that the arrest of Leijdekkers remains its top priority.
De Telegraaf further reported that plans for the operation were first developed in the second half of 2025 by Dutch police authorities, prosecutors, and the Ministry of Defence following extensive legal assessments.
The proposal was reportedly presented to the former Schoof administration, where then-Justice Minister Foort van Oosten and Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans, both members of the VVD party, allegedly refused to approve the mission.
However, the operation was later reconsidered after the new coalition government led by Jetten, comprising D66, VVD, and CDA parties, assumed office on February 23. Reports indicate that the mission later received backing from Jetten, current Justice Minister David van Weel, and Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz.
In preparation for the operation, Dutch authorities reportedly acquired a foreign-registered private vessel to function as an offshore operational base, as maintaining a Dutch naval ship in the region for an extended period was considered too risky.
De Telegraaf stated that Dutch marines and members of the special interventions unit underwent months of intensive day-and-night training ahead of the planned mission.
Despite the extensive preparations, both attempts in May were reportedly called off at the last moment due to what the newspaper described only as “external factors.”
Another Dutch outlet, Omroep Brabant, reported that one of the operations was cancelled because Leijdekkers allegedly did not leave Sierra Leone as intelligence had anticipated.
Dutch crime reporter John van den Heuvel reportedly stated that he believes “the momentum has disappeared” for any further immediate attempts to arrest the fugitive.
