World Cup mascots used by Peru police in drug sting

Peruvian police have once again employed an unconventional tactic to apprehend a suspected drug dealer, this time utilizing World Cup mascots as undercover agents. Two officers, disguised as mascots Clutch and Maple, assisted in the arrest of Carlos Cabrera, 48, in Lima during the World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa.

Colonel Carlos Alcántara, head of the Green Squadron, explained that intelligence indicated the suspect was a fervent football fan engrossed in the World Cup. The police decided to leverage this by having officers in mascot costumes approach him without raising suspicion. The officers, along with colleagues, used a sledgehammer to breach a door during the raid, which was captured on video and shared on social media, showing evidence collection and the suspect's apprehension.

The mascots, Clutch (a bald eagle representing the U.S.) and Maple (a moose representing Canada), were chosen to blend in with the World Cup festivities. During the operation, police seized 2,524 packets of cocaine base and a firearm. In Peru, micro-trafficking of cocaine base carries a prison sentence of three to seven years for quantities between 5 and 50 grams.

This is not the first time Peruvian law enforcement has adopted creative disguises. In previous operations, officers have posed as fictional characters like the Grinch, Freddy Krueger, Deadpool, Wolverine, and even Santa Claus to approach and arrest suspects. Last year, an officer dressed as a bear, complete with balloons and gifts, coaxed a female drug suspect out of her home on Valentine's Day.

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Thanks to intelligence work, we realized that this person was a diehard football fan and was caught up in World Cup fever. Therefore, we decided to disguise personnel as World Cup mascots so we could approach him without raising suspicion and apprehend him.