On June 13, 2026, during the opening match of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa, Peruvian police officers executed a strategic drug bust in Lima. Disguised as World Cup mascots Clutch and Maple, the officers apprehended a suspected drug dealer named Carlos Cabrera, 48, thanks to a creative law enforcement tactic.
Col. Carlos Alcántara, head of the Green Squadron, explained the operation. “We realized that Cabrera was a diehard football fan caught up in World Cup fever. Disguising personnel as mascots allowed us to approach without suspicion and arrest him,” Alcántara stated in an interview with The Associated Press.
The operation involved officers breaking into a suspect’s location with a metal sledgehammer, as shown in police-released video footage. The video displayed them collecting evidence, including 2,524 packets of cocaine base and a firearm. In Peru, drug offenses involving 5 to 50 grams of cocaine base are punishable by three to seven years in prison.
The use of mascots Clutch, a bald eagle representing the United States, and Maple, a moose representing Canada, reflects ongoing creative tactics by the Green Squadron. The unit has previously employed similar methods, disguising officers as characters like the Grinch, Freddy Krueger, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Santa Claus.
An earlier operation in 2024 featured an officer dressed as a bear on Valentine’s Day, using balloons and gifts to draw a female drug suspect from her home without suspicion. Such inventive approaches continue to aid Peruvian law enforcement in tackling drug-related crime effectively.