Haaland stickers mark $11M cocaine haul seized in Ecuador
Ecuadorian police seized 469 kg of cocaine near the Colombian border, arresting the driver. The packages bore stickers of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, a common trafficker labeling tactic.
Ecuadorian anti-narcotics agents have intercepted a major cocaine shipment near the Colombian border, arresting the driver of the truck in which it was found. The 469-kilogram (1,034-pound) stash was discovered hidden in a false bottom of the vehicle during an operation on Wednesday, following an anonymous tip received early Tuesday morning on the Pan-American Highway.
The packages, wrapped in green rectangular bundles, were marked with stickers bearing the image of Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland. Police released a video showing the packages spilling out from the hidden compartment, with the stickers clearly visible. Authorities provided no explanation for the choice of the striker's image, but labeling shipments with the names or faces of well-known sports figures is a common practice among drug traffickers to signal which criminal network produced the merchandise and which client it belongs to.
Haaland, known for his imposing stature and goofy sense of humor, was one of the top scorers and most charismatic players at the recent World Cup held in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. His popularity has made him a social media phenomenon. He is not the only soccer star favored by smugglers; the image of Argentine captain Lionel Messi has also appeared on another seized package.
The woman arrested, identified only as María R., holds Colombian identity documents. The operation took place in the area of Guagua Negro, near the border city of Tulcan, 246 kilometers (153 miles) north of the capital, Quito.
The estimated value of the shipment is nearly $842,000 on the domestic market, more than $11 million in the United States, and over $19.6 million (17 million euros) in Europe.
Ecuador is considered a logistical hub for drug trafficking, where narcotics are stockpiled and distributed via Central American routes, primarily to the United States and Europe. Local criminal gangs allied with Colombian and Mexican cartels manage these routes, with 80% of the drugs originating in Colombia and the rest in Peru. In the first half of this year, police reported seizing 80 tons of drugs, following seizures of nearly 215 tons in 2025 and almost 295 tons in 2024.