Posted by Chinenye on Fri 14th Aug, 2026 - tori.ng
A routine anti-narcotics operation near Ecuador’s border has uncovered an unusual detail that quickly grabbed attention.
(Ecuador National Police. Photo credit: Punch News)
Ecuadorian anti-narcotics officers have seized 369 kilograms of cocaine from a truck near the Colombian border, with the drug packages bearing the likeness of Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland.
Police recovered the shipment on Wednesday following an anonymous tip-off, stopping the vehicle on the Pan-American Highway.
Officers uncovered 370 packages of cocaine hidden in a false compartment, resulting in the driver's arrest.
Footage from the operation showed the packages marked with stickers displaying Haaland's image.
The footballer had gained prominence during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring seven goals across four matches and becoming a viral social media sensation through his performances and public profile.
Authorities did not disclose the purpose of using the player's likeness on the packages.
Drug trafficking organizations commonly label their shipments with images of prominent athletes and celebrities as a method of signalling which criminal network produced the cargo and which clients it is intended for.
Haaland's visibility following the World Cup made him an appealing choice for traffickers seeking recognizable branding.
Other football personalities have similarly had their images appear on seized drug packages, including Argentine national team captain Lionel Messi.
The operation took place in the Guagua Negro area near Tulcán, approximately 246 kilometres north of Quito.
A woman carrying Colombian identity documents, identified only as María R., was also arrested during the seizure.
The cocaine had an estimated street value of roughly $11 million in the United States and over $19.6 million in Europe.
Ecuador functions as a major logistics centre for drug trafficking, with criminal networks connected to Colombian and Mexican cartels using the country to accumulate, store and distribute narcotics toward North American and European markets.
Approximately 80 per cent of cocaine transiting Ecuador originates from Colombia, with the remainder sourced from Peru.
Police recorded 80 tonnes of drug seizures in the first half of 2026, compared with nearly 215 tonnes in 2025 and almost 295 tonnes in 2024, with cocaine representing the majority of confiscations.
𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐇𝐚𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝’𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐜𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) August 14, 2026
Credit: X | Fox News pic.twitter.com/6G4f0Ql5c8