Ecuadorian police seized 469 kilograms (1,034 pounds) of cocaine from a truck near the Colombian border. The seizure took place in the Guagua Negro region near the border city of Tulcan, located 246 kilometers (153 miles) north of Quito, Ecuador.
The cocaine was hidden inside 370 packages within a false bottom of the truck. Police released a video showing the packages spilling out from the compartment, with the image of Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland clearly visible on the stickers used on the packages.
Two individuals were arrested during the operation: the driver of the truck and a woman identified only as María R., who possessed Colombian identity documents.
Branding and drug trafficking trends
Ecuadorian authorities provided no explanation for why Haaland's image was used on the packages. Drug traffickers commonly use images of celebrities and famous sports figures on drug packaging to signal which criminal network produced the merchandise and to which client it belongs. The image of Argentine national team captain Lionel Messi has also appeared on previously seized cocaine packages.
Estimated value of the seized cocaine in the United States in dollars
The estimated value of the seized cocaine on Ecuador's domestic market is approximately $842,000. However, the same amount could be worth more than $11 million in the United States and more than $19.6 million in Europe.
Ecuador as a trafficking hub
Ecuador serves as a logistical hub for drug trafficking, primarily facilitating routes from South America to the United States and Europe. Local Ecuadorian criminal gangs work with Colombian and Mexican cartels to manage these routes. Approximately 80% of the drugs trafficked through Ecuador originate in Colombia, with the remainder primarily from Peru.
In the first half of this year, Ecuadorian police seized approximately 80 tons of drugs. Ecuadorian authorities confiscated nearly 295 tons of drugs in 2024.
Other instances of branded narcotics
The use of themed packaging has been noted in other incidents. In Florida, a beachgoer found cocaine wrapped in 'Yosemite Sam' packaging, and in August 2024, tourists on a Florida beach found packages depicting a dune buggy. In June 2024, boaters off the Florida Keys found 65 pounds of cocaine in packages emblazoned with bald eagles, while divers near Key West found about 55 pounds of cocaine in underwater packages marked 'Nike SB' with the brand's swoosh logo.
