Erling Haaland enjoyed another outstanding 2025-26 campaign for Manchester City, finishing the Premier League season with 27 goals.
The Norwegian striker secured his third consecutive Golden Boot while helping City win both the League Cup and FA Cup.
Haaland also enjoyed a remarkable World Cup with Norway during the summer tournament across North America.
He scored seven goals in five appearances as Norway reached the quarter-finals before eventually losing against England.
However, the Manchester City striker’s face has now appeared in unusual circumstances far away from the football pitch.
Police in Ecuador seized more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine packed inside green rectangular packages bearing images of Erling Haaland.
According to CBS News, officers discovered 469 kilograms, or 1,034 pounds, of cocaine inside a truck near Ecuador’s border with Colombia.
Anti-narcotics officers carried out the operation after receiving an anonymous tip regarding a suspicious vehicle travelling on the Pan-American Highway.
After searching the truck, police discovered 370 packages of cocaine hidden inside a false bottom built into the vehicle.
Images released by Ecuador National Police showed several packages carrying stickers featuring Haaland’s face.
Police arrested a woman identified only as Maria R., who was carrying Colombian identity documents during Wednesday’s operation.
Authorities estimated the cocaine would be worth almost $842,000 on Ecuador’s domestic market.
However, its estimated value would rise above $11 million in the United States and more than $19.6 million in Europe. Police did not explain why Haaland’s image had been placed on the packages.
However, drug traffickers commonly use images of famous sports personalities and celebrities to identify criminal networks or intended clients.
Haaland is also not the first football star to appear on seized drug packages. The face of Argentina captain Lionel Messi has previously appeared on another confiscated shipment.
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