Ecuadorian police discovered 369 kilos of cocaine hidden in a truck traveling in the northern province of Carchi on Wednesday, August 12. The vehicle, which was heading towards the Colombian border, was spotted during an operation conducted by the narcotics brigade following an anonymous tip.
The shipment consisted of 370 rectangular green packages hidden in a false bottom of the vehicle. Several of the cocaine packages bore an image of Erling Haaland, the Norwegian Manchester City striker whose popularity surged during the 2026 World Cup. There is obviously no evidence to suggest any link between the footballer and the drug trafficking operation uncovered by the authorities.
A shipment estimated at 17 million euros in Europe
The seized drugs were estimated to be worth around $842,000 on the Ecuadorian domestic market, but their value could have reached nearly €17 million after being shipped and resold in Europe. This considerable difference illustrates the profits sought by criminal organizations that use Ecuador as a storage and transit territory for drugs destined for Central America, the United States, and European ports.
The use of Erling Haaland's image is not a publicity stunt, but rather an internal identification practice within criminal networks. Traffickers regularly affix symbols, logos, or portraits of celebrities to their shipments to indicate their origin or intended recipient. Lionel Messi 's image has already appeared on packages of drugs seized during other operations, demonstrating that the global fame of football players is also exploited by drug traffickers.
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