08/12/26 07:08:00
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08/12 19:07 CDT Ecuador's police seize a cocaine shipment with stickers of
Norway's soccer star Erling Haaland
Ecuador's police seize a cocaine shipment with stickers of Norway's soccer star
Erling Haaland
By GONZALO SOLANO
Associated Press
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) --- Norway's soccer star Erling Haaland 's face has
appeared on billboards, trading cards and television screens, becoming a social
media phenomenon for scoring seven goals across four World Cup matches in July.
Now, police in Ecuador have found it in an unexpected place --- printed on
green rectangular packages that made up a stunning cocaine shipment seized in a
truck near the Colombian border.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested following the seizure of the stash of
469 kilograms (1,034 pounds) of cocaine on Wednesday, police said but provided
no explanation for the stickers with the image of the golden-haired Norwegian
striker.
However, it is common practice for drug traffickers to label their shipments
with the names of well-known sports figures and other celebrities as a way of
signaling which criminal network produced the merchandise and which client it
belongs to.
A news release said anti-narcotics agents were conducting an operation
following an anonymous tip received early Tuesday morning on the Pan-American
Highway when they noticed a suspicious truck. After searching it, they found
370 packages hidden in a false bottom of the truck.
Police released a video showing the packages spilling out from the truck's
false bottom, with the stickers of Haaland --- often called a "pretty princess"
and "babygirl" by his fans --- clearly visible.
Haaland was one of the top scorers and most charismatic players at the World
Cup held in Mexico, the United States, and Canada, and his imposing stature and
goofy sense of humor sparked a wave of creative viral videos and memes.
Haaland is not the only soccer star apparently favored by drug smugglers ---
the image of Argentine national team captain Lionel Messi has also appeared on
another seized package.
Ecuador is considered to be a logistical hub for drug trafficking, where drugs
are stockpiled, stored and distributed via Central American routes mainly to
the United States, though narcotics are also shipped to Europe.
Police said a woman identified only as Mara R., with Colombian identity
documents, was arrested in Wednesday's operation in the area of Guagua Negro,
near the border city of Tulcan, 246 kilometers (153 miles) north of the capital
of Quito.
The estimated value of the shipment is nearly $842,000 on the domestic market,
and more than $11 million in the U.S. and more than $19.6 million (17 million
euros) in Europe.
In Ecuador, local criminal gangs allied with Colombian and Mexican cartels
manage the routes and ship the narcotics, 80% of which originate in Colombia
and the rest in Peru.
In the first half of this year, police reported seizing 80 tons of drugs, while
in 2025 authorities confiscated nearly 215 tons, primarily cocaine. In 2024,
the amount reached almost 295 tons.
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Follow AP's Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
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