Cocaine Shipment Seized in Ecuador Featuring Haaland's Image

Ecuadorian authorities intercepted a significant cocaine shipment near the Colombian border, recovering 369kg of cocaine from a truck on the Pan-American Highway. The operation occurred after an anonymous tip-off, leading officers to stop the truck in the Guagua Negro area near Tulcán.

Inside, they found 370 packages of cocaine concealed in a specially created compartment. The driver was arrested, along with a woman named María R., who possessed Colombian identity documents.

The operation took place approximately 246 kilometers north of Quito, Ecuador's capital. Notably, the seized packages displayed stickers featuring the image of Norwegian football star Erling Haaland.

Authorities have not clarified why Haaland's image was used, but it is common for drug trafficking organizations to employ the names or images of celebrities to identify shipments. The cocaine's estimated street value is nearly $11 million in the U.S. and over $19.6 million in Europe.

Ecuador has become a key transit point for cocaine trafficked from South America to North America and Europe.