Ecuador Seizes 470kg Cocaine Shipment With Haaland Stickers

Ecuadorian police seized a large cocaine shipment near the Colombian border on August 11, 2026, discovering nearly 470 kilograms of the drug concealed in a truck and marked with stickers featuring the face of Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland. The operation, which took place in the Guagua Negro area south of Tulcán in Carchi province, resulted in the arrest of the driver, a Colombian woman identified as María Camila R.

Antinarcotics officers intercepted the truck on the Pan-American Highway after receiving an anonymous tip. A search of the vehicle revealed 370 green rectangular packages hidden inside a specially constructed compartment with a false bottom. The packages contained a total of 469.6 kilograms, or approximately 1,035 pounds, of cocaine, according to Ecuador's Prosecutor General's Office. Initial police reports had cited a weight of approximately 370 kilograms, but officials later clarified that 370 referred to the number of individual blocks.

Photographs and video released by authorities showed the cocaine packages adorned with stickers. Many prominently displayed Haaland's name and image, depicting him in the Norwegian national team jersey alongside a soccer ball...