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Haaland on cocaine bricks
Ecuadorian police seized a cocaine shipment packaged with the image of Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland, confiscating 469 kilograms (about 1,034 lbs.) from a truck near the Colombian border.
“confiscated by Ecuadorian police on Tuesday (August 11)”
Reuters said the drugs were confiscated on Tuesday (August 11) and that the seizure involved cocaine packaged with the image of Manchester City and Norway national team striker Erling Haaland.
CBS reported that anti-narcotics agents were conducting an operation after an anonymous tip received early Tuesday morning on the Pan-American Highway when they noticed a suspicious truck.
Police found 370 packages hidden in a false bottom of the truck, and police released video showing the packages spilling out with stickers bearing Haaland’s face clearly visible.
Arrest and unanswered motive
A woman identified by police only as María R., with Colombian identity documents, was arrested during the operation, which took place in the area of Guagua Negro near the border city of Tulcan.
CBS said police released a video showing the packages spilling out from the truck's false bottom, with the stickers of Haaland clearly visible.
Police did not explain why Haaland’s image appeared on the packages, and Reuters reported that police did not provide an explanation for the stickers bearing the image of the blond Norwegian striker.
The Associated Press and CBS reported that the estimated value of the shipment was nearly $842,000 in Ecuador, more than $11 million in the United States, and more than $19.6 million in Europe.
Celebrity branding and scale
The seizure came after Haaland scored seven goals across four matches for Norway during the 2026 World Cup, held in Mexico, the United States and Canada, according to People.
“Police in Ecuador seized 469 kilograms, or about 1,034 lbs., of cocaine”
People said the operation took place about 153 miles north of Quito in the area of Guagua Negro, and it described the shipment as 1,034 lbs. of cocaine with many green packages bearing stickers featuring Haaland.
The People report added that drug traffickers commonly label shipments with the names of well-known sports figures and other celebrities to signal which criminal network produced the drugs and which client they belong to.
CBS also said Haaland was not the only soccer star whose likeness appeared on seized drugs, noting that Lionel Messi’s image has also appeared on another seized package.
