On Wednesday, police in Peru took an innovative approach to combat drug trafficking by staging a raid in Lima while disguised as mascots for the 2026 World Cup.
A video shared on the police’s official TikTok showed officers outfitted as Clutch the Bald Eagle and Maple the Moose forcefully entering a premises using a battering ram and apprehending a suspect in a white vest.
The footage also displayed officers seizing packets of white powder and a weapon, accompanied by the caption: “World Cup Mode: Operation concludes with the capture of ‘Pichichi.’
Colonel Carlos Fredy Alcántara Obregón, leader of the police’s Green Squad, explained to The Associated Press: “Thanks to our team’s intelligence efforts, we determined that the individual we were about to arrest was a passionate football fan, fully immersed in World Cup excitement.
“Thus, we decided to dress my Green Squad personnel as World Cup mascots to approach him without raising any suspicion and execute the arrest.”
– England’s World Cup gear stolen from team van in Kansas City
This isn’t the first instance of Peruvian police using unconventional costumes during arrests.
On Valentine’s Day 2025, an officer dressed as a capybara, complete with a turtle-shaped backpack, to carry out an arrest in a drug investigation in Lima. Other officers have also previously donned outfits resembling Marvel superheroes.
Peru did not qualify for this year’s World Cup, finishing ninth out of the ten CONMEBOL teams. Their last participation in the tournament was in 2018.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.