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Ecuadorian police have seized 369kg of cocaine from a truck near the Colombian border, with the packages bearing the image of Norwegian football star Erling Haaland.
CNN reported on Thursday that anti-narcotics officers recovered the cocaine on Wednesday after acting on an anonymous tip and stopping a suspicious truck on the Pan-American Highway.
A police statement said the officers discovered 370 packages of cocaine concealed in a false compartment of the truck, leading to the arrest of the driver.
Police footage released after the operation showed the packages carrying stickers featuring Haaland, who emerged as one of the standout players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after scoring seven goals in four matches.
The authorities did not explain the reason for the footballer’s image being used on the packages.
However, CNN reported that it is “common practice for drug traffickers to label their shipments with the names of well-known sports figures and other celebrities” as a way of indicating “which criminal network produced the merchandise and which client it belongs to.”
The report said Haaland’s popularity soared during the World Cup, with his performances and personality making him a major figure in viral social media content.
Haaland is not the only football star whose image has reportedly been used by drug traffickers.
“The image of Argentine national team captain Lionel Messi has also appeared on another seized package,” the report stated.
The operation took place in the Guagua Negro area near Tulcán, about 246km north of Ecuador’s capital, Quito.
Police said a woman identified only as María R., who was carrying Colombian identity documents, was also arrested during the operation.
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The seized cocaine was estimated to be worth nearly 11m in the United States and over $19.6m in Europe.
Ecuador is considered “a logistical hub for drug trafficking,” with criminal gangs linked to Colombian and Mexican cartels using the country to stockpile, store and transport narcotics, mainly towards the United States and Europe.
The report noted that about 80 per cent of the cocaine moving through Ecuador originates from Colombia, while the remainder comes from Peru.
Police said they seized 80 tonnes of drugs in the first half of 2026, compared with nearly 215 tonnes in 2025 and almost 295 tonnes in 2024, with cocaine accounting for most of the seizures.
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