Lima, Peru: Peruvian police in Lima used an unusual tactic during Thursday’s World Cup opener to detain a suspected drug dealer: two officers posed as tournament mascots to blend into the crowd and make the arrest.
Colonel Carlos Alcántara, who leads the Green Squadron — a police unit tasked with fighting everyday crime — said the team nabbed 48-year-old Carlos Cabrera after identifying him through intelligence efforts during the Mexico vs. South Africa match, AP reported.
“Thanks to intelligence work, we realized that this person was a diehard football fan and was caught up in World Cup fever,” Alcántara said. “Therefore, we decided to disguise personnel as World Cup mascots so we could approach him without raising suspicion and apprehend him.”
Dressed as Clutch and Maple — mascots representing the United States (a bald eagle) and Canada (a moose) respectively for the tournament — the undercover officers joined colleagues in forcing entry, using a metal sledgehammer to break down a door during the operation.
Police officers said the raid resulted in the recovery of 2,524 packets of cocaine base and a firearm. Under Peruvian law, micro-trafficking carries a prison term of three to seven years when an individual is found with between five and 50 grams of cocaine base.
This wasn’t the first time law enforcement in Perú had employed disguises. In prior raids, officers have posed as fictional and seasonal characters — including the Grinch, Freddy Krueger, Deadpool, Wolverine and even Santa Claus — to get close to suspects without arousing suspicion.
