LAGOS AUGUST 13TH (NEWSRNAGERS)-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.
However, placing logos, symbols, names of well-known figures or images of celebrities on drug packages is a practice that has been documented in various seizures, according to reports by Mexican newspaper Record.
These markings can be used to distinguish shipments and identify organizations, suppliers or potential recipients, ad well as aid in tracking and describing perceived quality. The investigation by Ecuadorian authorities will look into what the images of the Norwegian and Argentinian soccer players meant.
Tulcán is located near Ecuador’s northern border with Colombia, an area where authorities frequently conduct checks to combat drug trafficking by road.
UPI
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