Ecuadorian authorities have seized 369 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a truck near the Colombian border, with several of the drug packages bearing the image of Norwegian football star Erling Haaland.
The operation was carried out on Wednesday after anti-narcotics officers acted on intelligence and intercepted a suspicious truck along the Pan-American Highway in northern Ecuador.
According to a statement issued by the Ecuadorian police, officers discovered 370 packages of cocaine hidden inside a specially constructed compartment in the vehicle. The driver of the truck was immediately arrested.
Police footage released following the seizure showed stickers featuring Haaland’s image attached to the packages. The authorities, however, did not provide any explanation for the use of the footballer’s likeness.
Reports indicate that drug trafficking networks often place images or names of popular athletes, entertainers, and public figures on narcotics shipments as a method of identifying the origin, destination, or ownership of the consignment within criminal organizations.
Haaland, who gained widespread global attention after an impressive performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is not the first football star whose image has appeared on seized drug shipments. Similar markings featuring Argentine captain Lionel Messi have reportedly been found on narcotics packages recovered in previous operations.
The seizure took place in the Guagua Negro area near Tulcán, approximately 246 kilometres north of Quito, Ecuador’s capital city.
Police also arrested a woman identified as María R., who was reportedly carrying Colombian identity documents at the time of the operation.
Authorities estimated the street value of the seized cocaine at nearly $11 million in the United States and more than $19.6 million in Europe.
Ecuador has increasingly become a major transit point for international drug trafficking networks. Security agencies say criminal groups linked to Colombian and Mexican cartels frequently use the country as a logistics hub for the storage and transportation of narcotics destined for markets in North America and Europe.
Investigators noted that roughly 80 percent of the cocaine trafficked through Ecuador originates from Colombia, while the remaining quantity is largely sourced from Peru.
Police said investigations into the case are ongoing.
