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.
Police said a woman identified only as María 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. 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.
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.
