Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has arrested three suspects over their alleged involvement with an international drug-trafficking network linked to wanted Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, widely known as “Bolle Jos.”
According to NACOC, the three individuals are suspected of representing and facilitating activities connected to Leijdekkers’ network in Ghana. They are currently in the Commission’s custody and are assisting investigators as authorities work to establish their alleged roles in the operation.
The arrests come in the wake of a massive cocaine seizure in France involving a shipment that originated from Ghana. French customs authorities intercepted approximately 3.9 metric tons of cocaine hidden inside a container carrying plastic waste. The shipment, estimated by French authorities to have a street value of about €225 million, was discovered in Dunkirk while the vessel was travelling toward Antwerp, Belgium.
Reports from European investigators have alleged that at least part of the seized cocaine may have been connected to the criminal organisation associated with Leijdekkers. The shipment was reportedly destined for a business address in Dordrecht in the Netherlands. Dutch prosecutors, however, have not publicly confirmed Leijdekkers’ involvement in the intercepted consignment.
Leijdekkers has been convicted in absentia in the Netherlands and remains a wanted fugitive. Authorities have long associated him with large-scale international cocaine trafficking, while reports have suggested he may be operating from West Africa.
NACOC says the latest arrests demonstrate Ghana’s determination to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven, transit route or operational base for international drug-trafficking organisations.
The Commission has also pledged to continue working with local and international law-enforcement agencies to dismantle the people, financial structures and logistical networks supporting the illegal drug trade.
The identities of the three suspects have not yet been publicly disclosed, and investigations into the wider network remain ongoing.
