Erling Haaland’s Face Found On Cocaine Packages Seized In Ecuador

Erling Haaland’s Face Found on Cocaine Packages Seized in Ecuador

Ecuadorian police have discovered an unusual image on a major cocaine shipment seized near the Colombian border: the face of Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland. Authorities said they confiscated 469 kilograms 1,034 pounds of cocaine hidden inside a false compartment of a truck during an anti-narcotics operation Wednesday. The shipment consisted of 370 rectangular packages, many of which carried stickers featuring Haaland’s likeness.

The truck was stopped on the Pan-American Highway in the Guagua Negro area near Tulcán, in Ecuador’s Carchi province, after police received an anonymous tip about a suspicious vehicle. A woman identified as María R., who was carrying Colombian identification documents, was arrested during the operation. Ecuadorian authorities have not said why the traffickers chose Haaland’s image.

However, the use of celebrity images on drug packages is not entirely unusual. According to the Associated Press, trafficking organizations sometimes use photographs or names of famous athletes and celebrities as markings to identify a particular criminal network, shipment or intended customer. Haaland is also not the first soccer star whose image has appeared on seized narcotics; Lionel Messi’s likeness has previously been found on drug packages.

There is no indication that Haaland himself has any connection to the cocaine shipment. The seized cocaine was estimated to have a domestic value of about $842,000. Authorities said its potential value would rise to more than $11 million in the United States and approximately $19.6 million in Europe. Ecuador has become a major logistical hub for international cocaine trafficking, with criminal organizations using the country to store and move narcotics toward markets in North America and Europe. Authorities say about 80% of the drugs trafficked through Ecuador originate in Colombia, with the remainder primarily coming from Peru. The seizure comes amid a major anti-drug campaign by Ecuadorian authorities. Police reported confiscating about 80 tons of drugs during the first half of 2026. Nearly 215 tons were seized in 2025, while the figure approached 295 tons in 2024, with cocaine accounting for the overwhelming majority.

The latest seizure has nevertheless attracted international attention because of its bizarre packaging. Haaland, whose image has become increasingly recognizable around the world following his exploits at the 2026 World Cup, unexpectedly found himself appearing on hundreds of packages of cocaine a use of his likeness that appears to have nothing to do with the soccer star himself.