Ecuador’s police seize a cocaine shipment with stickers of Norway’s soccer star Erling Haaland
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Norway’s soccer star Erling Haaland’s face has been found on a shipment of cocaine seized by police near the border with Colombia. The 469-kilogram haul of the drug was intercepted on a truck en route Wednesday, according to anti-narcotics agents who arrested the driver following an anonymous tip about a suspicious vehicle.
Police found 370 packages in a false bottom of the truck, with the distinctive stickers of Haaland, nicknamed the “pretty princess” and “babygirl” by fans. Haaland, a top scorer and charismatic player at the 2022 World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada, has become a social media sensation after scoring seven goals in four matches.
Soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have also been featured on seized packages, indicating drug traffickers’ use of celebrity branding to signal the origin and destination of their shipments. Ecuador serves as a key logistics hub for drug trafficking, with narcotics often traveling from Colombia and Peru to Central America and beyond.
In the first half of 2025, authorities seized nearly 215 tons of drugs, compared to 80 tons in the same period last year.
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