469 kg of Cocaine Seized in Truck in Ecuador, Packages Bore Erling Haaland’s Portrait

Ecuadorian police have seized 469 kilograms of cocaine from a truck near the border with Colombia. Authorities’ attention was drawn to a photograph of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland displayed on the drug packages.

The drugs were divided into 370 green packages concealed in a specially built compartment inside the vehicle’s double floor. Each package bore an image of Haaland.

The police operation was carried out in the Wagua Negro area, near the border city of Tulcán, around 246 kilometers north of Quito, Ecuador’s capital. After receiving an anonymous tip about a suspicious shipment being transported along the Pan-American Highway, authorities stopped and searched the truck.

During the vehicle inspection, officers discovered the secret compartment containing hundreds of packages of cocaine. A woman was arrested as part of the operation.

Authorities have not explained why Haaland’s photograph was used on the drug packages. Reports indicate that criminal organizations often use the names, portraits or symbols of famous figures to distinguish their shipments or destinations.

The use of a well-known footballer’s image on drug packages is not an isolated case. During another seizure, authorities also found a photograph of Lionel Messi on a package.

The Associated Press reports that the seized cocaine would have been worth approximately 731,000 euros on Ecuador’s domestic market. Had the shipment reached the US, it would have been worth more than 9.5 million euros, while its value on the European market would have exceeded 17 million euros.