Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Ecuadorian authorities seized a half-ton of cocaine hidden in a truck near the border with Colombia whose packages were marked with the names of soccer stars Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.
The Attorney General's Office said agents found 370 blocks of cocaine inside a modified compartment of the vehicle in Tulcán, in the border province of Carchi. Tests determined the shipment weighed 1,036 pounds.
According to the Attorney General's Office, 339 blocks were marked "HAALAND," while another 31 bore the marking "MESSI."
The truck driver, a Colombian citizen identified as María Camila R., was arrested Wednesday and charged with alleged drug trafficking. A judge ordered her held in pretrial detention while the investigation continues.
The authorities' statement did not specifically explain why the soccer players' images was used to identify the shipment.
