An investigative report published by the UK Guardian has alleged that at least 14 people have been killed inside Sierra Leone on the orders of Dutch cocaine trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, also known as Bolle Jos.
The report, written by Mark Townsend and published Wednesday 14th October 2026 under the title “How Europe’s most wanted cocaine trafficker turned Sierra Leone into the world’s first true narco state”, is based on police sources, intelligence documents and witness accounts. It alleges a pattern of abductions, killings and cover-ups in Freetown linked to Leijdekkers’ network.
The Guardian is a reputable UK newspaper. The allegations contained in its report have not been independently verified by this medium, and Sierra Leone Police and the Military, according to the Guardian, declined to comment when contacted.
Nine Disappear In One Week
At the centre of the report is the alleged abduction of Alan Jalloh, a 40-year-old shop owner.
The Guardian reports that on 23rd October 2025, Jalloh was with two friends outside Goodies supermarket in Freetown when witnesses saw a black Toyota Rav4 stop and burly white men in balaclavas drag all three into the vehicle.
According to the report, two days later, on 25th October 2025, another three men disappeared. Within a week, nine people had been seized, most in broad daylight in Freetown.
The Guardian quotes police sources as saying those abducted were dismembered and at least one was beheaded. One officer investigating Jalloh’s abduction is quoted as saying: “They were exterminated to hide the truth.”
No bodies have been found, the report states.
The report alleges Jalloh was seen to have “betrayed” Leijdekkers over a cocaine deal. It claims police tracked the Toyota SUV and arrested three kidnappers, but that they were released the same day after intervention by senior officers.
Other Deaths Alleged
The Guardian investigation alleges that the total number of people killed on Leijdekkers’ orders in Sierra Leone is at least 14, including:
– The Lumley cases: The owner of a Lumley beach bar and others who went missing in the same period, with witnesses alleging some were buried at Freetown’s police cemetery. One police officer quoted in the report alleged: “Reliable sources say they were sliced with a power saw while alive. A pit was dug, the bodies dissolved with chemicals and concreted over.”
– John Conteh – Port Worker: Conteh, who worked for Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) at Freetown Port checking container seals, is alleged to have started “monitoring and inspecting containers” linked to Leijdekkers. He was crushed in work machinery at about 1am on 2 June 2024. The Guardian notes it was the only death of an MSC employee in Freetown in 14 years of operations, and that authorities concluded eight days later it was a “work-related accident”. Western intelligence sources quoted in the report described his death as “suspicious”. MSC declined to comment.
– Superintendent Matthew “Boyka” Banya: The senior police officer was shot at point-blank range in a marked police car near Makeni clock tower on 8 April 2023. The Guardian quotes a police source claiming: “Boyka wanted to expose Leijdekkers so an assailant was sent.” The report says no killer was caught and no proper investigation was held.
– Specialist Police Unit: The report alleges that two months after Jalloh disappeared, a police vehicle crashed killing three officers of a unit that allegedly knew where Jalloh was buried. Days later, a fourth officer of the same unit was found hanged. A police source quoted says: “His family knows their son would not hang himself. No investigation was mounted.”
Fear and Denial
The report describes a climate of fear in Freetown, citing residents and a local politician who said: “Targeted assassinations, cover-ups and impunity. We are terrified.”
It alleges Leijdekkers is protected by heavily armed foreign bodyguards described as “commandos” – Turkish, Dutch and Serbian – and that his enforcers were “supported by the police and military”.
Sierra Leone Police and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces did not respond to questions from the Guardian, according to the paper.
Leijdekkers, 33, is one of Europe’s most wanted men, convicted in absentia in the Netherlands for large-scale cocaine trafficking. He has been linked to Sierra Leone since 2023. The Government of Sierra Leone has previously said it had no official record of his presence in the country, but is aware of the international reports.
The Guardian report also alleges that despite intelligence about cocaine exports to Europe, the EU and UN continued to engage the Bio administration, and quotes intelligence sources warning that “the entire West Africa region is at risk.”
