Trump signs new rules tightening federal agency data security

The White House has announced new rules aimed at tightening how federal agencies handle their data and digital tools. This move comes after months of pressure from lawmakers who worry that current practices leave sensitive information vulnerable to leaks or misuse.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week directing all departments to review their cloud contracts by the end of this month. The goal is simple: make sure taxpayer money buys secure systems that actually protect American secrets. One agency head told reporters, "We cannot afford another breach," while another official added, "Security must come first."

Critics say the deadline is unrealistic given how long it takes to rewrite complex software agreements. A former IT director noted, "You don't just flip a switch on infrastructure built over decades." Still, supporters argue that waiting isn't an option when foreign actors are actively trying to steal our data.

The order also requires agencies to stop using unapproved third-party services immediately. That means thousands of small vendors must find new ways to sell their products or face losing government accounts overnight. Small business owners are already scrambling to adjust their offerings before the cutoff date hits.

Some states have started drafting their own versions of these rules, hoping to keep local control over public records. Others worry that federal standards could override state laws in unexpected ways. Legal experts say this tension will likely play out in courtrooms across the country for years to come.

For now, everyone is watching closely as agencies rush to comply with what many call one of the most significant shifts in how Washington manages information since the internet age began.

Two Seasons on Tokeh Beach in Sierra Leone offers privacy, seclusion and plenty of room for staff and security. Mountains rise behind with lush tropical greenery, while the Atlantic lies to the west, just a jump away from South America. Everything fits what a fugitive drugs kingpin with a price on his head could want. Yet Dutch cocaine baron Jos Leijdekkers, 35, finds much more to like in this deeply corrupt nation than upmarket beach villas he now calls home.

Since the arrest of cartel leader Daniel Kinahan in Dubai earlier this month and his extradition to face charges in Ireland, the mantle of world's most wanted drug smuggler has passed to Leijdekker along with increased global interest in how he hides out. He is believed to be married to the daughter of Sierra Leone's president. The couple reportedly have a child together.

Leijdekkers, now officially the world's most wanted man, glides on the 20-minute drive between Tokeh and the capital Freetown in a blacked-out Mercedes. He travels with his own motorcade. Armed members escort him. It is unclear if these armed men work for the government or not.

For years Leijdekkers has lived high on the hog in Sierra Leone. Photos show him with President's daughter Agnes Bio, 31, and alone at a nightclub brawl. Dutch authorities are desperate to bring him to justice. But Mr Liejdekkers remains safely out of reach for Dutch law enforcement while living with impunity in Freetown.

He reportedly calls this home the palm-fringed resort of Two Seasons on Tokeh Beach where he is understood to have purchased two villas. He has adopted the pseudonym Omar Sheriff. Everyone knows him as Bolle Jos, a Dutch nickname meaning chubby though he has clearly toned up since that moniker was bestowed. Though on the run from Dutch and Belgian authorities who sentenced him to more than 100 years in his absence, he apparently fears nothing here.

Last week news emerged of a dramatic attempt by Dutch special forces to seize him in international waters. They believed he planned a rare sea trip to nearby Ivory Coast. The top-secret mission aborted twice at the 11th hour. Whether a leak caused it or his plans changed remains unclear. It is no coincidence that Sierra Leone serves as his hideout in plain sight.

The country acts as a pivotal link between South America and Europe for international drugs trade. Some believe under Mr Leijdekkers' insidious influence this former British colony risks becoming a narco state itself. Now the Netherlands intensifies its legal and political efforts to flush him out of Sierra Leone where he has become untouchable thanks to his seat at the top table.

The campaign to Get Jos gained fresh impetus this May after Spain's Civil Guard seized more than 30 tons of cocaine from a cargo ship. Police say Mr Leijdekkers himself organized that shipment. The Comoros-flagged Arconian was intercepted in international waters after leaving Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital and biggest port. Its illicit drugs cargo carried an estimated £700million worth of value.

The ship was due to meet smaller speedboats at sea for distribution toward the Spanish coast. Delivery said to have been personally arranged by Mr Leijdekkers took place that way. Guardia Civil Spanish police pulled up to the Arconian for the cocaine seizure. This attempt failed twice but highlights how close international cooperation came to success before he slipped away again.

Police discovered massive quantities of cocaine and weapons aboard the Arconian as it prepared to rendezvous with smaller speedboats along its route toward the Spanish coast. The original scheme involved transferring these drugs into tiny vessels for final delivery across Europe before wider distribution could begin. Authorities also found arms on board the ship, highlighting the scale of this criminal operation.

The Dutch national known as Mr Leijdekkers maintains deep connections with global drug networks, including the Kinahan cartel led by Daniel Kinahan. That leader has recently been arrested after his lavish life in Dubai ended abruptly following a police raid that left the organization without its figurehead. Despite being sentenced to over one hundred years in prison and fined £82 million for trafficking while absent from court, Mr Leijdekkers faces no such penalties in Sierra Leone today.

This lack of consequence stems directly from his close friendship with Agnes Bio, the President's daughter who holds diplomatic immunity as a United Nations representative. The Dutch government is currently urging the European Union to threaten cutting aid to Sierra Leone and force the nation to hand over the fugitive. Yet such pressure seems unlikely to succeed given how well protected he remains within local power structures.

Family members of the Bio clan attended a New Year's thanksgiving service in Tihun alongside high-ranking officials where Mr Leijdekkers sat just two rows behind President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Maada Bio. Initial claims that he was merely visiting his daughter were quickly denied by the President who insisted he knew nothing of this man at all.

Footage captured by Dutch news outlets shows him attending a private birthday party in March 2024 for Alusine Kanneh, the country's immigration chief where he presented gifts during the celebration. Reports indicate he recently took legal control of luxury villas at Two Seasons through a Lebanese business associate operating under his name alone.

An investigation by US magazine New Lines described a lifestyle marked by frequent visits to nightclubs and casinos always accompanied by drivers and bodyguards while remaining completely sober. Staff members received tips ranging from $500 to $1,000 each time he visited these establishments showing just how flush with cash he remains today. He has been spotted getting into arguments with partygoers at Scarlet nightclub on the coast while continuing to mix comfortably among influential circles in Freetown.

A private birthday party unfolded for Alusine Kanneh, the nation's immigration chief, as a politician handed him a gift. The scene seems normal until you consider what happened right after. Such spending is unheard of in Sierra Leone, where average monthly wages hover between $40 and $150. Agnes Bio stands out as a particular favorite of her father. He promoted her career within the foreign service. After serving as an advisor in that ministry, she now works at the permanent mission to the UN in New York. There, she is immune from arrest or detention. Her bags cannot be searched on entry or exit from the United States either.

Meanwhile, convicted Dutch criminal Mr Leijdekkers reportedly moves freely through Freetown with his own security detail. He gave expensive imported 4x4s and limousines to several of the most influential ministers. The extent of his influence in this former French colony is nothing short of chilling, says local journalist Kandeh Sesay. In an interview for Dutch newspaper Panorama.nl with crime reporter John van den Heuvel, Mr Sesay spoke of deep-rooted criminal influence reaching the highest levels of government. Mr Sesay reported on Mr Leijdekkers for years before finding himself forced to flee the country. He continues his investigative work from the United States because returning to Sierra Leone could be fatal. The threats he received left nothing to the imagination. Journalists were reportedly offered thousands of dollars to stop writing about the Dutchman. Those who refused got a warning: shut up or die.

'Leijdekkers is everywhere,' says Mr Sesay. 'From the president's family to the immigration service and customs at the port. Wherever you look, he is the man calling the shots.' According to the journalist, the cartel Leijdekkers is part of is so powerful that whistleblowers or troublesome journalists disappear without a second thought, through kidnapping, torture, or false accusations. The alleged aftermath of a video clip of a nightclub brawl involving Mr Leijdekkers certainly lends weight to those threats. In the footage, a Lebanese reveller at Scarlet, a coastal club near Freetown, was apparently angry that Mr Leijdekkers and his entourage were allowed to jump the queue snaking outside the nightspot on New Year's Eve in 2023. A fight erupted and the Lebanese man, called Fawaz, smashed a bottle over one of Mr Leijdekkers' bodyguard's head. Hours later, as Fawaz left the club, he was brutally attacked in an underground car park. Seven shots rang out and Fawaz crumpled to the ground with both his kneecaps shattered.

Mr Leijdekkers comes from a criminal family. His father ran a sex club boss business in Breda, Holland. His elder brother Wilhelmus was arrested in Istanbul on cocaine trafficking charges. A police report said the bodyguard fired the shots but sources in the country believe Mr Leijdekkers himself was responsible. Journalist Josef Skrdlik, based in west Africa, investigated Mr Leijdekkers and firmly tied him to the Arconian shipment. He told the Mail: 'Our investigation has linked the Arconian to two other similar voyages by small cargo vessels from Freetown to North Africa in recent years, both organised by Leijdekkers' network. All three vessels were previously owned and managed by companies headquartered at the same German address, and had the same ship safety manager in Turkey.' The two previous voyages were characterised by repeated loitering events near the Canary Islands, Morocco and Spain. Such activity may indicate potential drop-offs at sea, where cocaine is typically picked up by smaller boats and brought to shore.

Spanish officials claim this is the exact method used to unload Arconian cargo. They warn that such tactics are spreading fast across West Africa and Europe. The Leijdekkers network stands out as a primary driver of this cocaine trade. In May 2026, Wilhelmus Leijdekkers, the elder brother of the main suspect, faced arrest in Istanbul on trafficking charges. Dutch authorities extradited him to their country just one month later. Getting the ringleader himself back to The Netherlands has proven nearly impossible. No extradition treaty exists between the two nations, and deep corruption clouds any chance for cooperation. While The Netherlands pursues millions in recovery and hunts globally, a darker picture emerges in Sierra Leone. There, Bolle Jos has built an empire using power, money, and fear. For now, he remains untouchable. Some experts fear Sierra Leone could slip into becoming a narco state without even knowing it. His reach extends far beyond his West African base to include Turkey and Dubai. Dutch prosecutors estimate his organization generates up to £145 million every single month, totaling £1.7 billion annually. His climb from the son of a sex club owner in Breda to one of the world's most powerful drug lords relied on two main things. He stays ahead of the law with uncanny skill and dispatches enemies with ruthless efficiency. By 2019, he ran an international cocaine network moving goods through Rotterdam and Antwerp ports. Intercepted Sky Encrochat messages gave investigators a clear view of his massive operation and central role. Before fleeing to West Africa, he controlled that same network in Europe. Belgian customs officers inspect containers using mobile scanners during operations like this one. He uses the pseudonym Omar Sheriff, but everyone calls him Bolle Jos, meaning chubby. He has clearly lost weight since earning that nickname. Dutch police believe the seven tons of cocaine seized for his conviction might represent only a small fraction of total drug flow. Violence increasingly became part of his standard business model. In one case, a shipment meant for Finland ended up at an innocent company with no link to drugs. Leijdekkers sent men to recover it anyway. Prosecutors say messages showed him ordering men to dominate occupants and hold a driver at gunpoint. They took control of the shipment during this robbery. One employee suffered injuries in the attack. A Rotterdam court later convicted him, noting how easily he organized such violence seemed almost frivolous. Even more chilling allegations surfaced shortly after. In early 2020, prosecutors stated Leijdekkers paid €200,000 to kill Utrecht gym owner Robin van Ouwerkerk. Intercepted messages included the victim's address and a photo. The assassination never happened, yet the Rotterdam court convicted him of ordering the murder. His name also links to the disappearance of Dutch-Moroccan Naima Jillal in October 2019. She was a woman involved in the drug world who vanished in Amsterdam. Police say encrypted communications show Leijdekkers played a role in her fate. Photographs from a seized phone appeared to show a mutilated, naked body investigators believe was Ms Jillal after torture. She has never been found.

Mr Leijdekkers has never been found guilty regarding Ms Jillal's disappearance. The Dutch authorities still label the case an active investigation.

The starkest sign of his ascent isn't seen on city streets but in the massive sums of cash and valuables that prosecutors claim flowed through his hands. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service says he gained at least £190million from illegal acts.

He did not just buy cars, watches, or throw money at nightlife venues. He tried to build an international asset portfolio. Encrypted messages showed him purchasing 975kg of gold for over £40million in a span of less than six months.

Property records suggest he owns homes in Sierra Leone, Turkey, and Dubai. In the United Arab Emirates, his address is The Grandeur Residences on Palm Jumeirah. This six-storey building sits near a villa belonging to David and Victoria Beckham.

He reportedly drives a blacked-out Mercedes between Tokeh and Freetown, covering that 20-minute route with ease. Behind him lie mountains covered in lush tropical greenery. The Atlantic Ocean waits to the west, placing South America just over the horizon.

Turkish investigators found an apartment at the luxury Vogue Hotel Supreme in Bodrum. Dutch police have long tracked his travel between Turkey and the UAE. In 2023, they searched homes and offices after his parents and sister flew to Turkey on suspicion of contacting him there.

Officers discovered cash in euros, Turkish lira, Swiss francs, and UAE dirhams. They also seized expensive watches, jewellery, and designer handbags. More recently, prosecutors confirmed apartments in Dubai linked to Mr Leijdekkers and his associates at The Grandeur Residences. Two Bentleys and a Rolls-Royce were among the luxury items allegedly tied to his family.

The story that forms is of a fugitive who constructed not only a drug business but a complex financial system around it. He moves between Turkey and Dubai, buys gold and real estate, and surrounds himself with high-end goods.

While Dutch investigators attempt to dismantle this empire from afar, Mr Leijdekkers keeps enjoying the safety distance. His shift to Sierra Leone moved him away from familiar European ports and criminal networks into something potentially more valuable for a fugitive: a hiding place in plain sight. Here he can live openly within the political elite despite his convictions and international notoriety.

Guy Weski, who acts as Mr Leijdekkers's lawyer in Rotterdam, was approached for comment.