Cocaine haul with Haaland stickers seized in Ecuador near Colombia border
Norway's soccer star Erling Haaland's face has appeared on billboards, trading cards and television screens, becoming a social media phenomenon after scoring seven goals across four World Cup matches in July.
Now, police in Ecuador have found it in an unexpected place- printed on green rectangular packages that made up a stunning cocaine shipment seized in a truck near the Colombian border.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested following the seizure of 469 kg of cocaine on Wednesday, police said, but provided no explanation for the stickers bearing the image of the golden-haired Norwegian striker. However, it is common practice for drug traffickers to label shipments with the names of well-known sports figures and other celebrities, as a way of signalling which criminal network produced the merchandise and which client it belongs to.
A news release said anti-narcotics agents were conducting an operation following an anonymous tip received early Tuesday morning on the Pan-American Highway, when they noticed a suspicious truck. After searching it, they found 370 packages hidden in a false bottom.
Police released a video showing the packages spilling out from the truck's false bottom, with the Haaland stickers often called a "pretty princess" and "babygirl" by his fans- clearly visible.
Haaland was one of the top scorers and most charismatic players at the World Cup held in Mexico, the United States and Canada and his imposing stature and goofy sense of humour sparked a wave of creative viral videos and memes.
Haaland is not the only soccer star apparently favoured by drug smugglers — the image of Argentine national team captain Lionel Messi has also appeared on another seized package.
Ecuador is considered a logistical hub for drug trafficking, where drugs are stockpiled, stored and distributed via Central American routes, mainly to the United States, though narcotics are also shipped to Europe.
Police said a woman identified only as María R, holding Colombian identity documents, was arrested in Wednesday's operation in the area of Guagua Negro, near the border city of Tulcán, 246 km north of the capital, Quito.
The estimated value of the shipment is nearly USD 842,000 on the domestic market, more than USD 11 million in the U.S. and more than USD 19.6 million (17 million euros) in Europe.
In Ecuador, local criminal gangs allied with Colombian and Mexican cartels manage the routes and ship the narcotics, 80% of which originate in Colombia and the rest in Peru.
In the first half of this year, police reported seizing 80 tonnes of drugs, while in 2025 authorities confiscated nearly 215 tonnes, primarily cocaine. In 2024, the amount reached almost 295 tonnes.
