Interception of High-Value Shipment
The arrests followed the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine concealed within a container of plastic waste shipped from Ghana. The estimated street value of the consignment is approximately €225 million (roughly US$261.45 million). French customs officers at Dunkirk inspected the vessel based on intelligence received during its final stop in Antwerp, Belgium. While the drugs were initially destined for a business address in Dordrecht, Netherlands, the targeted operation resulted in the destruction of the cocaine. A man in Dordrecht was separately arrested on September 4, 2026, on suspicion of involvement in the import attempt.
NACOC stated that the three individuals arrested in Ghana were key intermediaries in the network. One of the suspects, identified as Desmond Curiel, is described by Dutch media as one of Leijdekkers’ most significant accomplices. Curiel, a 34-year-old Dutch-Ghanaian, was previously named in an investigation concerning 11,000 kilos of cocaine seized in Antwerp in October 2023. Following that seizure, reports indicated that Leijdekkers attempted to retrieve the drugs with an armed team, an effort that was subsequently foiled by law enforcement.
Legal Status and Prior Convictions
Leijdekkers remains a fugitive from justice in multiple European jurisdictions. He is currently listed on both the Dutch and Europol most-wanted lists, with a combined reward of €200,000 offered for information leading to his capture. Dutch authorities believe he has been residing in Sierra Leone for at least six months, though some reports suggest he may have been hiding there for two years. Sierra Leonean authorities have consistently denied that Leijdekkers is present in the country.
The fugitive faces a cumulative prison sentence of over 24 years across various jurisdictions. In June 2024, the Rotterdam District Court sentenced him in absentia to 24 years in prison for smuggling nearly seven tonnes of cocaine, an armed robbery in Finland, and ordering murder. In September 2024, a Belgian court sentenced him to an additional 10 years for drug trafficking and assault. Most recently, in February 2025, a Belgian court handed down a 14-year sentence for his role in masterminding a raid on a customs warehouse in Kalmthout to recover 10 tonnes of seized cocaine. In that specific case, seven individuals were arrested and face up to 10 years in prison, while 11 others received sentences ranging from one to nine years, and two were acquitted.
Desmond Curiel, the Ghanaian suspect, has his own criminal history involving violent crimes. He was convicted in 2012 and 2013 for violent robberies against jewelers and jewelry sellers. During this period, Leijdekkers was serving time for the 2011 shooting of two brothers in Scheveningen. The two men were reportedly held in the same prison during that time.
International Cooperation and Domestic Context
The arrests in Ghana have been welcomed by Dutch authorities as a significant disruption to an international drug network. David van Weel, the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, stated that the action dealt a blow to the illicit trade and affirmed the commitment to dismantling such networks globally.
The move aligns with a broader, heightened stance on narcotics enforcement in Ghana. NACOC has recently intensified its operations, including the public destruction of seized drugs and threats to revoke the licenses of local businesses or pharmacies found to be complicit in transnational smuggling. Commission officials emphasized that Ghana will not tolerate becoming a safe haven for international drug traffickers.
While the link between the seized cocaine and Leijdekkers’ organization is supported by investigative findings and media reports, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) has noted that the specific attribution of the consignment to Leijdekkers has not yet been formally confirmed by the prosecution. The investigation into the wider criminal network behind the Dunkirk seizure continues.
Leijdekkers is also suspected by Dutch police of involvement in the 2019 disappearance of Naima Jilal in Amsterdam, a case involving allegations of torture and murder. As the case against the three Ghanaian suspects proceeds, the focus remains on whether these arrests will lead to the eventual extradition or capture of Leijdekkers himself.
