Ecuadorian police have seized nearly half a tonne of cocaine worth around £15 million (RM87 million) after discovering hundreds of drug packages bearing images of Norway and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
The haul was uncovered after officers stopped a flat-bed truck following a tip-off on the Pan-American Highway near Tulcán on Wednesday. The city is located in northern Ecuador, close to the Colombian border and around 153 miles from the capital Quito.
Police found a hidden compartment beneath a false floor containing 370 packages of suspected cocaine, with the total haul weighing close to 500kg. The packages were wrapped in green plastic and featured a photograph of Haaland taken during the World Cup.
A woman identified only as María R was arrested in connection with the discovery. Authorities have not disclosed further details about the suspect or the intended destination of the shipment.
According to reports, drug trafficking groups sometimes use photographs of well-known public figures as identifying marks on packages. The images can reportedly help couriers and other members of trafficking networks recognise particular shipments and their intended recipients.
Haaland is not the only football star whose image has allegedly been used in this way. Photographs of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and the late Diego Maradona have also reportedly appeared on drug consignments seized by authorities.
The latest seizure highlights Ecuador’s role as a major transit point in the international cocaine trade. Large quantities of the drug are smuggled into the country from neighbouring Colombia before being stored and transported towards markets in North America and Europe.
Ecuadorian authorities have seized around 80 tonnes of drugs so far this year, while approximately 215 tonnes were seized last year, according to the report.
The latest operation is part of wider efforts by Ecuadorian police to disrupt trafficking networks operating through the country, which has become an important logistical hub for international drug smuggling.
