Rhona Wise-Imagn images
The FIFA World Cup 2026 has been going on for less than a week, and the biggest impact may well have come far away from the field in a country that hasn’t even qualified for the tournament.
Colonel Carlos Alcántara, the head of the Green Squadron Perurecently used the World Cup mascots to go undercover and capture 48-year-old Carlos Cabrera during the opening World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa.
Video of the arrest on the unit’s TikTok page showed undercover officers dressed as World Cup mascots leading Cabrera away after allegedly seizing 2,524 packages of cocaine.
@policiaperu 🚨 #Lima | The police intelligence has the family 👮♂️🇵🇪 The police of Peru have issued an operation that allows the capture of presuntos integrators of a banda criminal dedicated to the droga. With plans, operational intelligence and tactics, our agents intervene in an area that goes beyond criminal development. During the political attack, illegal and condemnation elements are associated with the investigative correspondents. The result is that the PNP does not improvise: research, planning and action with effectiveness to protect Peruvian society. The current intervention has achieved a superior goal: give peace to the people, protect the new family and confirm Peru’s relationship of trust with the police. ✅ Inteligencia, estrategia en acción al service de je seguridad. This security is now a priority!!! #PolicíaNacionalDelPerú #PNP #Lima #SeguridadCiudadana
♬ sonido original – Policía Perú
Peruvian police use World Cup mascots as cover for drug bust
“Thanks to the team’s intelligence work, we were able to determine that the person we were going to arrest was a die-hard football fan who lived and breathed World Cup fever,” Alcantara said. said of the arrest. “So we proceeded to disguise my Green Squad personnel as World Cup mascots to approach him without arousing suspicion and carry out the arrest.”
It’s not every day that someone dressed as an eagle, moose or jaguar leads a man away in handcuffs.
But in this case it made sense.
The three animals represent the three host countries for the 2026 World Cup. The United States is represented by Clutch, a bald eagle. Maple the moose represents Canada, and Mexico is symbolized by a jaguar named Zayu.
Cabrera faces three to seven years in prison if convicted. This is also not the first time Alcantara’s unit has used these tactics. Members have previously dressed up as the Grinch, Freddy Krueger and even Santa Claus to approach those they plan to arrest.
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