Quito, EcuadorAP —
Norway’s soccer star Erling Haaland’s face has appeared on billboards, trading cards and television screens, after he became a social media phenomenon for scoring seven goals across four World Cup matches in July.
Now, police in Ecuador have found his likeness 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.
