Liberia’s police chief, Gregory Coleman, is facing questions over a November 2025 visit to Sierra Leone, where he met President Julius Maada Bio and his Sierra Leonean counterpart to discuss regional security cooperation.
The visit has attracted scrutiny because of Sierra Leone’s links to Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, whom authorities in the Netherlands convicted in absentia in 2024 and sentenced to 24 years in prison for drug-trafficking offenses.
Leijdekkers has been reported by international media and Dutch authorities to have operated under the alias Omar Sheriff and to have maintained ties with members of Sierra Leone’s political elite.
Its is reported that the Dutch cocaine king with ties to the world’s most powerful cartels successfully corrupted Sierra Leone’s state power to make way for his cocaine-trafficking empire. He’s embedded himself deeply within Sierra Leone’s political class, becoming engaged to the president’s daughter.
There is no publicly established evidence that Coleman participated in, facilitated or knowingly supported drug trafficking. Nor is there evidence that his meeting with Bio was connected to Leijdekkers.
Coleman and Sierra Leone’s Inspector General of Police, William Fayia Sellu, met Bio at State House in Freetown on Nov. 20, according to an official account of the visit.
The two police chiefs proposed creating a Mano River Union committee to improve intelligence sharing, law-enforcement cooperation and joint operations against cross-border crime.
Sierra Leone’s Vice President, Juldeh Jalloh, also met Coleman during what officials described as a four-day visit. Jalloh said the discussions focused on strengthening cross-border policing and protecting communities in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The meetings have prompted questions about whether Coleman had the authority to engage directly with a foreign head of state on national-security matters.
Liberia’s National Security Council is chaired by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, with national-security responsibilities also involving the defense minister and national-security adviser.
It was not immediately clear whether Coleman’s meetings were formally authorized by the presidency or conducted under an approved intergovernmental framework. Following his Freetown engagement Boakai issued cabinet directive demanding all officials seek official clearance from his office before travels.
The official rationale for the trip was regional coordination. The timing, however, has drawn attention because Leijdekkers was publicly linked to Agnes Bio, the president’s daughter. Sierra Leone is being considered an emerging narco-state of the west coast of Africa as its President stands complicit.
Reports have alleged that Leijdekkers hosted an engagement celebration in Freetown on Nov. 29, shortly after Coleman’s visit. Those reports have not established any connection between the event and the Liberian police delegation.
Sierra Leonean authorities have previously faced criticism over their handling of allegations involving Leijdekkers.
Sierra security chiefs say they had not seem Leijdekkers. After his image surfaced with Bio in his village, Police officials said an open-source investigation identified a man known as Omar Sheriff but did not confirm that he was Leijdekkers.
The Netherlands submitted an extradition request in February, but the status of that request and any subsequent enforcement action have remained unclear.
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Concerns have also been raised about members of Liberia’s police leadership. Johnny Dean, who traveled with Coleman to Freetown, was later removed from his position as head of the Liberia National Police’s crime and intelligence operations.
The reasons for his dismissal, was connected to alleged acceptance of bribe from cartel members during drug-trafficking investigations. He has not made comment on the allegations.
Since his Freetown visit, Coleman has faced claims of adopting a lifestyle inconsistent with his official income, including the use of expensive sport-utility vehicles.
