Ecuador Police Seize 469 kg of Cocaine in Haaland-Labeled Packages

Ecuadorian anti-narcotics police have intercepted a major drug shipment near the Colombian border, seizing 469 kilograms (1,034 pounds) of cocaine. The drugs were discovered in a truck during an operation in the Guagua Negro area, close to the border city of Tulcán, roughly 246 kilometers north of Quito.

The packages, numbering 370 in total, were concealed in a modified compartment of the vehicle. Each package bore the image and name of Norwegian football star Erling Haaland, who was a standout player at the recent World Cup held in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

Captain Ximena Sangolquiza, head of the Carchi Anti-Narcotics Unit, said preliminary field tests confirmed the substance was cocaine. She estimated the seizure removes approximately 7.7 million individual doses from circulation.

The truck's driver, a woman carrying Colombian identification, was arrested at the scene.

Ecuador is frequently described by authorities as a logistics hub in the international drug trade, where narcotics are collected and stored before being shipped through Central America to the United States or directly to Europe. Local criminal groups, often allied with cartels in Colombia and Mexico, manage these trafficking routes. Authorities estimate that 80% of the drugs passing through the country originate in Colombia, with the remainder coming from Peru.