Peruvian police arrest drug trafficker disguised as World Cup mascots
Peruvian police officers conducted an operation in Lima dressed in the costumes of the 2026 Football World Cup mascots to arrest an alleged drug trafficker. During the raid, they found packages containing white powder and a firearm.
Peruvian police arrest drug trafficker disguised as World Cup mascots
Peru's police deployed an unconventional method to combat drug trafficking: officers dressed in the costumes of the 2026 Football World Cup mascots conducted an operation in Lima.
In a video published on the police's official TikTok account, officers can be seen wearing the suits of the eagle Clutch and the moose Maple, kicking down a door and detaining a man wearing a white shirt. During the raid, agents found packages containing white powder and a firearm.
The post included the following message: "World Cup mode: operation concluded with the capture of 'Pichichi'".
According to Colonel Carlos Fredy Alcántara Obregón, head of the special "Verde" squad, speaking to news service AP, the decision to use these costumes was based on intelligence information. Investigators determined that the target was a passionate football fan living in the euphoria of the upcoming world championship.
"Thanks to intelligence work, we established that the person we intended to capture is a big football fan, living in the excitement of the World Cup. That is why we decided to disguise our officers with the tournament mascots, in order to be able to approach without raising suspicion and carry out the arrest," the official stated.
This is not the first time Peruvian police have resorted to eye-catching disguises during their operations. On Valentine's Day 2025, an officer participated in an anti-drug investigation in Lima dressed as a capybara with a tortoise-shaped backpack. Previously, officers had also used costumes of various Marvel superheroes.
Peru's national team did not qualify for this year's World Cup. In the South American qualifiers, it finished in ninth place among ten teams. The last time Peru's national team participated in a World Cup was in 2018.
Source: Google News LT — Crime (lt)