Peru Police Stage World Cup Mascot Raid to Arrest Suspected Drug Dealer

Police in Lima, Peru, carried out a drug raid on Wednesday while dressed as official 2026 World Cup mascots, a stunt that quickly went viral. Video from the operation shows officers wearing the costumes of Canada’s Maple the Moose and the United States’ Clutch the Bald Eagle as they smashed through a metal gate with a battering ram. Mexico’s mascot, Zayu the Jaguar, did not take part.

Once inside, officers handcuffed a suspected drug dealer and found bags containing weapons and unidentified drugs. Two officers briefly removed the mascot heads during the entry, but the operation went ahead as planned, according to National Police Colonel Carlos Freddy Alcántara Obregón, who spoke to The Associated Press.

Alcántara said intelligence work showed the man they wanted to arrest was a devoted football fan who lived and breathed the World Cup. For that reason, police chose to disguise themselves as World Cup mascots to get close to him without raising suspicion.

Lima’s so-called Green Squad has become known for theatrical undercover raids. In 2025, its Valentine’s Day operation featured officers dressed as capybaras, and on Halloween they appeared as Marvel superheroes. The unit’s formal role is to combat micro-trafficking and other low-level drug crimes across the city. Police did not name the suspect, but social media posts identified him as an alleged gang member and showed him walking handcuffed in the street beside Maple and Clutch after the mascot heads were put back on.