{"id":511055,"date":"2026-06-12T17:17:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T21:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.net\/en\/uncategorized\/police-officers-disguised-as-2026-world-cup-mascots-capture-alleged-drug-trafficker-in-peru\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T17:17:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T21:17:36","slug":"police-officers-disguised-as-2026-world-cup-mascots-capture-alleged-drug-trafficker-in-peru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/uncategorized\/police-officers-disguised-as-2026-world-cup-mascots-capture-alleged-drug-trafficker-in-peru\/","title":{"rendered":"Police officers disguised as 2026 World Cup mascots capture alleged drug trafficker in Peru"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Peru.-<\/strong>The 2026 World Cup fever reached police operations in Lima. The Terna Group<\/strong> of the Green Squadron<\/strong> of the National Police of Peru (PNP)<\/strong> captured an alleged drug micro-dealer in the Las Flores neighborhood, in the Lima district of San Juan de Lurigancho<\/strong>, using a strategy as effective as it was eye-catching: two of its agents disguised themselves as Clutch<\/strong> and Maple<\/strong>, the official mascots of the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/strong>, to approach the suspect without raising suspicion while he was watching the tournament’s opening ceremony at his home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>The operation, confirmed by Colonel Carlos Alc\u00e1ntara<\/strong>, head of the Green Squadron, quickly became one of the most talked-about in the recent history of the PNP. But behind the ingenuity and creativity of the agents lies a reality that the police officers themselves know well and that the Peruvian State has been ignoring for more than a decade: they pay for the costumes themselves<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peruvian Police agents, disguised as 2026 World Cup mascots, arrest a man in San Juan de Lurigancho for alleged drug trafficking. (AFP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recommend reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation: intelligence, soccer, and World Cup mascots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The detainee was identified as Carlos Cabrera<\/strong>, 48 years old, known in his circle by the alias \u201cPichichi\u201d<\/strong>, investigated for the alleged crime of illicit drug trafficking in the form of micro-commercialization. According to authorities, he has a record for the same crime and was incarcerated on two occasions<\/strong> in penitentiary establishments in the capital, where he served approximately nine years in prison<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Peruvian National Police officer puts on or takes off the costume of the 2026 World Cup mascot during an anti-drug trafficking operation in San Juan de Lurigancho. (AFP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intelligence work prior to the operation was decisive. Colonel Alc\u00e1ntara explained that the agents determined that Cabrera was a staunch soccer fan and that on the day of the World Cup opening, he would be at his home following the event. That information was the key to designing the strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peruvian Police agents prepare with 2026 World Cup mascot costumes during an undercover anti-drug trafficking operation in San Juan de Lurigancho. (AFP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks to intelligence work, we realized that this person was a die-hard soccer fan and was experiencing World Cup fever. Therefore, we decided to disguise the Terna personnel as World Cup mascots in order to reach him without raising suspicion and be able to capture him,\u201d the police commander pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Two agents dressed up as Clutch<\/strong>\u2014the bald eagle that represents the United States<\/strong>\u2014and Maple<\/strong>\u2014the moose that symbolizes Canada<\/strong>\u2014, the two mascots of the tournament being held on North American soil. With those costumes, they arrived at the door of Cabrera’s residence. When necessary, the police broke down the door with a metal sledgehammer and entered along with their colleagues to carry out the arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agents of the Peruvian National Police, disguised as the 2026 World Cup mascot, carry out an anti-drug trafficking operation in San Juan de Lurigancho. (AFP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the home, the PNP seized 2,524 packets of basic cocaine paste (PBC)<\/strong>, an additional 210 grams of PBC<\/strong>, 209 grams of marijuana<\/strong>, a firearm<\/strong>, ammunition, and cash<\/strong>. In Peru, micro-trafficking of drugs is punishable by between three and seven years in prison<\/strong> when a person is found with an amount ranging between 5 and 50 grams<\/strong> of basic cocaine paste. A Peruvian Police officer, dressed in a 2026 World Cup mascot costume, inspects packages of drugs seized during an anti-narcotics operation in San Juan de Lurigancho. (AFP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Terna method: creativity as a police tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The World Cup mascots<\/strong> operation is neither an improvisation nor an isolated occurrence. It is part of a consolidated methodology of the Grupo Terna<\/strong>, a unit specialized in undercover operations in high-crime areas that has turned the use of costumes into a first-rate tactical tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe work of the Terna Group is not improvised. We conduct an analysis of the situation to blend in our personnel and go unnoticed, avoiding detection by the person we are going to intervene, thus ensuring the success of the mission,\u201d explained Colonel Alc\u00e1ntara. An agent of the Peruvian National Police, disguised as a mascot alluding to the 2026 World Cup, participates in an anti-drug trafficking operation in San Juan de Lurigancho, Peru. (AFP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operational history of the Terna Group is as extensive as it is varied. Last February, during Valentine’s Day<\/strong>, an agent disguised himself as a capybara<\/strong>\u2014the rodent that became a viral social media phenomenon\u2014to capture a suspect in Lur\u00edn, seizing a large quantity of drugs. During the Christmas festivities, another agent adopted the costume of the Grinch<\/strong> to dismantle a family clan dedicated to drug trafficking. In San Mart\u00edn de Porres, also on Valentine’s Day, an agent appeared as a Care Bear<\/strong> with a romantic message sign, which led a drug-selling suspect to leave her home and facilitated her arrest. In July, agents dressed up as characters from El Chavo del 8<\/strong><\/em>\u2014El Chavo, Quico, and El Chapul\u00edn Colorado\u2014during a public demonstration of their tactics. And in previous operations, they have also used the costumes of The Grinch<\/strong>, Freddy Krueger<\/strong>, Deadpool<\/strong>, Wolverine<\/strong>, and Santa Claus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADVERTISINGTerna Group agents took advantage of the Valentine’s Day celebration to carry out an operation against drug dealing. | Am\u00e9rica TV<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dark side of success: police officers pay for costumes out of their own pocket<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Behind every viral operation, every photograph that circulates on social media and international media, there is a reality that the Peruvian State has failed to resolve for more than a decade: Grupo Terna agents buy their own costumes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Informative Letter No. 003-2025, issued by the Intelligence Department of the Lima Police Region in response to a request for access to public information, confirms it with an unsettling bluntness: there is no budget allocated for the acquisition or rental of costumes used by agents of the Terna Group. The document further specifies that from 2012 to date, the Special Operations Division Green Squadron \u2013 Terna Group has not executed budget items nor processed formal contracts or services intended for the purchase or rental of the clothing necessary for undercover operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peruvian police resort to ‘El Chavo del 8’ and Chespirito costumes to catch criminals – RPP Noticias<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practical terms, that means that every non-commissioned officer who dresses up as a capybara, a World Cup mascot, or the Grinch to capture a drug trafficker does so with money out of their own pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The specialists consulted agree that the situation is not due to a legal impediment but to a lack of institutional decision. Lawyer Carlos \u00c1lvarez Sol\u00eds<\/strong>, an expert in administrative law, pointed out that \u201cas long as there is a duly justified public need, these goods can be purchased through regular procurement processes. There is no prohibition.\u201d Public procurement specialist Juan Carlos Gonzales Salinas<\/strong> was even more direct: \u201cThese are smaller-scale purchases that can be managed quickly. It is unjustifiable that the expense falls on the non-commissioned officers\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Terna Group, disguised as a capybara mascot, arrests a man suspected of micro-drug trafficking in Lur\u00edn| Photo: PNP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paradox is evident: the operations of the Terna Group are widely publicized in national and international media, generate a positive image for the institution, and demonstrate an operational creativity that few police forces in the world can exhibit. But the agents who make those operations possible finance the clothing that makes them possible out of their own salaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than a decade without an assigned budget, Peruvian police officers continue to dress up as World Cup mascots, cartoon characters, and pop culture icons to capture drug traffickers. The State applauds them. But it does not pay for their costumes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peru.-The 2026 World Cup fever reached police operations in Lima. The Terna Group of the Green Squadron of the National Police of Peru (PNP) captured an alleged drug micro-dealer in the Las Flores neighborhood, in the Lima district of San Juan de Lurigancho, using a strategy as effective as it was eye-catching: two of its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-511055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phj1q1-28WP","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","dum_api":{"author_name":"Yerandi Santana","author_image":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-13-at-5.35.07-PM-96x96.jpeg","categories_name":["Uncategorized"],"featured_media_url":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133556"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511055\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}